Unsound Souls
by JeNeSaisQui
Summary: Dart D. Cay was never a name associated with greatness. He seemed fated to live an average life with average complications, until one day, the kid who everyone thought to be a dimwit ran away. His destination—the DWMA. Allied with a blade out for her own ambitions, they travel a peculiar path to create a Death Scythe, waging strange, bloody war on whatever stands in their path.
1. Prologue: Dart D Cay

"Hi there."

His voice comes crisp over the receiver, and it's easy to tell he's trying to play it off coolly despite the slight shiver to his voice. There's a brief pause, and one can catch the sound of his quiet breathing, if only for a moment. "I don't believe we've met now, have we?" There's a static-laden chuckle, before he abruptly silences himself. "I'm Dart. Dart D. Cay. Nice to meetcha!"

"...Yeah, didn't expect ya to respond. I might just be talkin' into the void here. But I'll assume you're a nice person and all, no hard feelings."

"This is _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls. _I don't know what that implies or what it means, but it's somethin' alright."

"I've been told I exist purely within the fabric of _Unsound Souls_; bound to a plane that well, isn't yours."

"Don't worry about me though, I guess it's pretty alright. Knowin' that my life's already been laid out for me. If I'm 'sposedly the main character here, I 'spose I'll make it out okay."

Another pause.

"Whew! That just got a little heavy now, didn't it? Sorry about that; wouldn't wanna over-confuse ya on the first chapter. No worries though, I bet in a couple chapters, you'll have forgotten about this whole conversation! So don't get bogged down by my prattlin' here. I don't think I'll remember this either."

There's a faint scratching from his end, like he doesn't know how to conclude it. "...Anyways."

"Welcome to _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls. _Enjoy your read."

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><p><strong>Timeline: The short "prologue" chapters take place around the same time as Soul Eater NOT. The chapters from then on are two years later, after Asura's defeat in the anime's chronology.<strong>

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><p><em>I'm leaving, ma. I'm really gonna miss you. By the time you read this, I'm already on my way there. It's real personal. You know just as well as I do. <em>

_I'm sorry, ma. Please don't hate me, though I suspect you might already._

The letter was short, brief, and straight to the point. He kept it that way for his own sake. A 'real man' doesn't go back on his promises, so he couldn't afford to get too emotionally tied up and regret his decision. All written by a mere twelve-year old boy, by the name of Dart D. Cay, who intended to leave for the Death Weapon Meister Academy at the crack of dawn. He left the letter by his nightstand, and took one last lamenting look at his childhood bedroom before jumping out his window.

Dart, his face stained with tears, took off towards the train station very early in the morning. In his pocket, he carried some of his college savings from his bank account, which would carry him as far as Death City, Nevada. All the way, burning shame welled up in Dart's chest as concerned onlookers stopped him with questions. He felt like crumpling into someone's stomach and crying hard. Which was sort of happening, except he wasn't crumpled in someone's chest. Since the last two months, sobbing had become a normal occurrence for Dart. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to be in a state of perpetual sadness. But still, men had to soldier on, right? His mother had always told him that people cope in different ways, and Dart found his.

At the train station reception desk, he discretely put the money on the table and asked for a ticket to Death City. To his relief, the receptionist didn't seem actively curious about where he was going. A ticket slid by from the other end of the table, and Dart folded it up in his palm. Just as he left the desk, the train arrived, announcing its presence with an earsplitting whistle. He hustled over to the stop, fearing that the train might leave without him if he wasn't exactly on time.

The train's automatic door opened roughly, half-frosted by the late Fall cold. He stepped inside, and found himself just a little comforted by the quietness of it all: no morning commuters, no chatty families. Just him and the train, and maybe a few other nice, quiet people. He groggily made his way to the aisles, and nabbed the first empty seat, of which there were many.

Dart peered out the window, leaving fingerprints smeared on the old glass. Blue skies pierced through the grey clouds like waves crashing on rocks. The sun grinned with gusto, its joy renewed. A strange sensation overtook Dart, and he glanced down at his hand. He flexed each individual finger, one by one. He could see the blue veins running from his arm to his palm, still pumping life into him despite his recent sorry state. He felt rejuvenated, he felt mystified, he... He felt human again. _I'm gonna be a meister, aren't I?_ He thought, as a smile creased his face. His head rocked back against the seat, and he let out an exhausted sigh. _I did it. You watching?_ Goosebumps rattled Dart, as he finally started to feel at-ease. He sat up, suddenly feeling anxious for what lied at the end of his destination.

**Author's Note: Welcome, welcome! First off, I wanna thank you for taking an interest in this in the first place. OC-fics aren't the most popular genre, so I'm grateful you took the time to read this. Aside from that, what'd you think? Questions? Comments? General critiques? I'll read 'em all, and with pleasure. But if you have a question, make sure you have an account so I can fill you in with a PM.**


	2. Prologue: Alice Robinson

"Hello?"

Her very sound is tense, even while not talking. Her pacing steps echoed into the receiver, awaiting a response. "Well now, it seems you aren't one for chat. I can hardly blame you, I'm not much better in that regard."

Her pacing slows, before coming to an eventual halt. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Alice Robinson, newest heir to my family's legacy."

"I won't bore you with the details. If I'm talking to someone whom I don't know is listening, why waste the breath?" She sighs, as if holding up the conversation was a chore.

"...It's all irrelevant anyways. You won't remember this. _I _won'tremember this."

She goes silent for a long while, before reviving herself with a deep sigh.

"Welcome to _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls. _Enjoy your read."

* * *

><p>"<em>Once you come-of-age, you will be sent to the Death Weapon Meister Academy to become the fulfill your destiny! Marvelous, isn't it?"<em> These words were said to a girl named Alice Robinson two years ago, at age ten. Her father laughed as he spoke, but little Alice stared brightly and nodded with undying obedience. Her feelings weren't The family legacy was everything. She wouldn't dare defy it.

The day that she was told was coming finally came. It was her first time on a plane, and Alice was certainly feeling uneasy, but she tried her best to maintain her composure. To take the edge off, she looked out the window. Just boring, puffy clouds that took forever to pass by; far from an interesting sight. It was either subjecting herself to the aerial equivalent of watching paint dry, or acknowledging the fact that she was thousands of feet in the air. _Pick your poison, Alice._ She thought, quietly sighing.

Looking for yet another distraction, she unzipped her neatly-organized backpack, withdrawing a hefty piece of literature titled _To Be A Weapon,_ a large handbook detailing everything Alice could ever want to know and less. She had been reading it since she was six, and now she was only ten chapters in out of two-hundred.

"Would you like a beverage, ma'am?" Alice jolted, briefly surprised. She looked up from her book and saw a female flight attendant. Her face reddened from embarrassment. Normally, _she_ was the one fulfilling orders, now the power was in her hands for once.

Alice fuddled with her words for a second before forcing a coherent sentence out. "Yes please. A glass of grape juice would be nice." She replied, quickly looking down back into her book. The flight attendant shortly arrived back with her requested grape juice, complete with a miniature umbrella and a straw. Alice sipped the drink from a straw as she sat comfortably in her seat, thinking about her plans for the academy.

It was then that it struck her. At the DWMA, getting a meister was not an option, it was practically _required. _The thought made her shudder. _Perhaps I could pass for an autonomous weapon like Justin Law? No, that wouldn't work. Nobody would fall for that. _ Alice thought, becoming more worried. There was no way she could pass as an autonomous weapon. Her weapon form was as basic as basic gets; a sword, one of the easiest weapons to pick up and wield. She facepalmed into her glove, and shook her head. Her goal was to become a Death Scythe ASAP, she couldn't be held back by dead weight.

Alice shut the book, and closed her eyes. She tried to imagine a world without having so much responsibility shifted onto her. As a child, it felt nice for her to imagine such a fantasy, but now? It was painfully obvious that it was never going to happen. As her eyes remained shut, she slowly lost consciousness, and drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>L..ies, g..tlemn, y..r des…tion has b..n r...ched… Death City, Nevada." <em>A male voice spoke over the Plane's intercom. Alice, barely awake, could barely interpret what he was saying, but she very clearly heard the last three words, she jolted awake, rushing towards the exit, pushing through multiple persons on the way, but not before apologizing several times as she did so.

As Alice stepped out of the plane, she took a moment to breathe, and absorb some fresh air. Letting her wobbly legs adjust to solid ground again, she took a deep, shaky breath.. "Okay, I've made it this far. Now, how do I get to Death City?" She asked herself. She decided to look around the airport a bit for a means of transportation. People of all races wandered the airport, minding their own business.

"Hey, hey! Get your souvenirs over here! Buy it now, folks!" Alice turned around and saw a vendor selling a variety of wares in an outdoor shop. One item in particular stood out to her, however. She jogged over to the outdoor shop to see if her eyes were telling the truth. The vendor looked a tad shady, but that wasn't exactly her greatest concern as of now. There was little-to-no consistency in the items sold there, ranging from toasters to cell phones to inflatable beach toys.

"How much for the scooter?" Alice asked the vendor, straight to the point. The scooter was colored white and green, with a brown helmet and blue-tinted goggles attached. From the looks of it, it was powered by electricity.

"Three-hundred fifty dollars." He said, with a shifty kind of smile on his face. Alice glared at the man, and reached into her backpack. Her father had given her quite a bit of money to sustain herself with. From her backpack, she pulled out a wad of pounds and grumpily handed it to the vendor. She wasn't exactly sure of the conversion of British pounds to US dollars, but she was sure it was more than enough. The vendor eyed the cash with a gleam in his eyes, and nodded at the girl.

"It's all yours." For once in a long time, Alice beamed. The purr of the portly engine was mesmerizing, and she wasted no time in hopping on and away, whipping up sand streams in her trek past the dunes to the wonderful Death City.


	3. Prologue: A Prelude to Journey

Dart could barely control his excitement as he ran towards the academy at full speed. _Lord Death would be happy to have a fresh, young volunteer like myself… Right?_ Dart thought to himself. To be honest, he wasn't completely sure he was meister material, at least not yet. But there was no time for doubt now, he couldn't turn back. Even from the entrance to Death City, the DWMA was easily noticeable, lighting the sky with it's three protruding candles. At the foot of the DWMA lied a enormous set of stairs leading to the academy grounds, unfortunately for Dart. He took a couple steps back and took off with a running start, racing up the innumerable stairs. He flew past the first few steps like nothing, but eventually, his stamina began to wear thin. His pace slowed, and exhaustion dizzied him. He stumbled up one last step before collapsing on the cement, just halfway to the academy grounds.

* * *

><p>Spirit Albarn sighed. It was times like this that really made him wish for the good old days of not being a teacher. Not that he had anything against children, but the image of him with an unconscious kid slung over his shoulder didn't do wonders for his image as a fearsome Death Scythe. <em>I didn't eat a witch soul for this.<em> Still, he'd rather risk his image than have a dead kid on his conscience. Up ahead, Lord Death stood quiet as always, staring in front of his mirror. "Lord Death, you might wanna have a look at this." The Death Scythe waved with his free arm at the grim reaper, getting his attention.

Lord Death bounced in place, intrigued. "What is it this time?" Spirit rolled his eyes and laid the child down on the floor. Lord Death's fingers balled into a fist and unclenched perplexedly. "...Oh. He's not, well, you know-"

"N-No." Spirit grimaced. "Has anyone ever told you you're morbid? He's got a pulse, so don't worry about it! Heat stroke, maybe? A bunch of students were gathered around him on the staircase, so who knows how long he's been out."

"That's good to hear. But Spirit, why did you bring him here? I might be a god, but I never went to medical school."

"Yeeaaaah, about that. I searched him; he's not one of ours. No ID, no one recognized him, and there's no one who looks him in the registration entries." Spirit explained, running his fingers through his hair stressfully.

"Morning." The child awoke suddenly, half sitting-up.

"Should we call his parents?" Lord Death asked.

"Do you think I'd come here if I did?"

"Hi, um, I guess I should introduce myself, I'm Dart D. Cay-"

"Don't get testy with me! We're talking about a child's safety here, it shouldn't be taken lightly." They went on, oblivious to the child's consciousness.

"Who says I was getting testy? I was just pointing out a flaw in your logic." Spirit said, pointing an accusatory finger at Lord Death.

"So uh, I took a train here, and I think it'd be really cool to join the DWMA-"

"Didn't anyone tell you to respect your elders? I've met your mother's mother, your grandmother's mother, I have met your _grandma's grandma's grandma's dinosaur-_"

"Hi!" Before they could get any further into their argument, a voice butted in. The child rocked back and forth absent-mindedly, with a youthful naivety in his eyes. Spirit and Lord Death shared a mutual look of confusion as they struggled to collect themselves. The boy was dressed in casual clothing; shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals. It was obvious he wasn't exactly a fighter, looking about as skinny as a stick. His eyes brought memories of the ocean to the grim reaper, like the quiet waters in the aftermath of a maritime storm. The boy also didn't seem to care much for personal appearance, with his hair resembling a bird's nest, with black strands of hair poking out here and there in little spikes.

"And you are…?" Lord Death asked, not sure how to address the situation at hand.

The boy hopped up and saluted Lord Death feverishly. "Dart D. Cay at your service! I think I'd like to become a meister here, I think." He said.

"You think? Are you serious or not?" Spirit said. The boy froze up, stiffening to a halt. His tongue flicked, trying to find the words. The Death Scythe tapped his foot, awaiting an answer. "Well?"

Dart clenched his fists and puffed up his chest before answering. "Y-Yes." He replied. Spirit grunted, and turned to Lord Death.

"Well…" The Death God's head swayed, on the verge of making a difficult decision. "I'm going to be a teensy bit honest…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "You're not fit for the DWMA." Lord Death quickly blurted out. "The thing is, we can't take in just anybody. We need students with muscle! Reflexes! Gusto! You understand, right?" The boy looked absolutely shattered, to the reaper's dismay. His eyes bulged, and his mouth hung agape. _I've done it now, haven't I?_

Before a single tear could be shed, Lord Death shushed the child. "Wait! Don't do that. There's a possibility we _might_ have an alternate solution. You're actually quite lucky; we just unveiled this." Thankfully, the mistiness from Dart's eyes had all but disappeared.

"W-What is it?" Dart asked, loosening up.

From his void-like robes, he pulled out a blue diagram with the schematics for something. The length was astounding, starting at the tips of Lord Death's fingers, and ending at the floor. The handwriting was surprisingly tiny, considering his ridiculously huge fingers. That is, besides the title, underlined at the top: _TRAINING._

Dart looked at the poster, his eyes gradually scanning the whole thing from top to bottom while Lord Death narrated. "For two years, if you wish, we can put you in a training program designed to help you attain your peak physical strength. It's not going to be easy. You, or we, can send yourself home with a phone call anytime. Once two years is up, if you're deemed fit enough to slay kishin eggs, then you'll make it in! Did you get all that?"

Dart nodded. "I'm ready."

* * *

><p>As the scooter pulled up to the academy grounds, it caught the attention of many. Alice, however, had other things in mind than something as trivial as popularity. Her tires hissed as she skidded to a stop in front of a bike rack. <em>Let's get this over with.<em> She thought.

As she walked in, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a map of the school. Without looking up from the map, she followed the exact directions to the Death Room.

"_Oof!_" For a moment, Alice looked up. A spineless-looking teenager with blonde hair was looking down at her.

"You look kind of lost, little girl, you need any help?" That remark certainly set Alice off. 'Little', how much more condescending and smug can you get with that? Alice merely gave him a look and walked past him. Alice could see the Death Room, and with that she closed the map, and took a slow breath.

_Just try not to be intimidated by Death…_ She thought. Alice had never met Lord Death in person, nor had she ever seen what he looked like. When she imagined him, she saw a frightening figure who delivered terrifying justice to his opposers. She shook her head, quickly diverting her thoughts towards something more pleasant.

* * *

><p>"She's supposed to have been here by now. Where is she?" Spirit asked. Lord Death merely shrugged. "If you're gonna take the time to plan an appointment with Death himself, at least show up on time…" Spirit said, tapping his foot impatiently.<p>

"Oh, have a little bit of mercy, Spirit, we're talking about a child here." Lord Death said towards the pouting Spirit.

"Right..." Spirit muttered irritatedly.

"Oh, here she is now." Lord Death said, looking down the long path that led to the center of the girl's eyes were cold, a little disturbing for someone of her age. Her skin was fair and light, devoid of tan or freckles, and straight, blonde hair that went beyond her neck a bit. She wore a beige sweater and a light-green skirt.

"I apologize on behalf of my late appearance, Lord Death. I came to talk to you about my enrollment here at the academy." She said, her eyes staring directly into Lord Death's soul.

"Right, right. It says on your application form here that you're…" Death said, inexplicably pulling out a pair of reading glasses. "Twelve years old? My my, that's quite a young age to start at!" Once again, her age was now suddenly relevant.

"I'm a capable weapon, Lord Death. It would be wise not to underestimate me." Alice said, in somewhat of a passive-aggressive tone. Lord Death put his hands up defensively.

"Okay, okay, don't worry, I believe you. Before we enroll you, however, we need to do a quick test. This will determine if your soul is compatible with other meisters or not. Start off by transforming into your sword form, please." Lord Death said, trying his best not to get on her bad side.

_A test? This should be no problem. Not at all._ Alice thought to herself, taking in a gulp of air. She put her hands at her side, and effortlessly transformed into her weapon form; a short sword, half-black, half-white, splitting vertically from the tip of the blade from the top of the hilt. The sword landed on the ground in front of Lord Death. Alice shut her eyes.

Suddenly, Alice opened her eyes to the sound of groaning and clanking metal. Her face went pale, instantly knowing something was wrong. Lord Death, the meister to top all meisters, couldn't lift Alice's tiny sword form off the ground, no matter how hard he tried. "H-How? Surely you just aren't pulling hard enough. I want another meister!" She demanded.

"I'm afraid that's not an option." Spirit explained, speaking on behalf of Lord Death, who was too bushed to talk. "Lord Death can sync with almost any weapon. If he can't synchronize with you, it's a lost cause." Alice de-transformed, reverting back to her human form.

Alice's knees knocked together, and she clutched her arm feebly. Any composure or professionality she had before had disappeared without a trace. "I have to be here! _Please_ tell me there's another way!" She begged, genuflecting in front of Lord Death.

Lord Death finally caught his breath and began to speak, albeit in a hoarse voice. "It's obvious you have a lot of commitment. With your weapon form, I can see you contributing a lot to our humble academy. But, as of now, you're not ready. Soul alignment and a few lessons in humbility ought to do the trick. And I know just the teacher."  
>Alice stood up, still a little bit shaken. "Thank you…" She murmured.<p>

* * *

><p>It was approximately four o'clock in the afternoon. Classes had ended for the day long ago. Dart held onto a slip of paper with something written on it: 'Room 013 after school.'. Dart shoved the note into his pocket, and walked to the room with a sense of uneasiness.<p>

"_Ding dong ding… Dong ding ding ding…_" The sound of someone imitating a doorbell chime reverberated through the hallway. As Dart got closer to room #013, the sound gradually fell silent. Carefully, he tiptoed across the halls to quiet his footsteps.

Once he had reached the room, he peeked his head in the doorway to see if anyone was there. "Hello?" He cried out in the room, hoping someone was there to greet him. He placed one foot into the room and-

"_GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_" Without warning, something burst from the floor with a piercing cry. Dart fell over onto the ground, fearful for his own life. The next words to come out of the stranger's mouth weren't what Dart expected.

"Did I surprise you? I was expecting...Someone else." The man said calmly, looking embarrassed at the underground tunnels he himself had dug. He was dressed in camouflaged pants, and a sleeveless grey shirt, giving him a soldier-like appearance.

"A-Are you Sid?" Dart asked, still flat on the ground. In Dart's younger years, there was someone whom he knew that was practically obsessed with the DWMA. From them, he absorbed bits and pieces of knowledge about the academy, and some of the teachers.

"That's Mr. Barett to you, kid. Lord Death told me that you're Dart D. Cay, right?" Sid questioned.

"Y-yeah." Dart said, standing up and dusting himself off. He tried to look natural, acting as if he didn't nearly die of a heart attack.

"Okay, now that we've got introductions in order, we can begin your training. I'm always the kind of man who likes to get things over with."

"Awesome! First day here, and I already get a cool job!" Dart thought.

"Help me fix up this floor before anyone notices." Sid ordered. Dart shrugged.

_Well, at least it's something to do. _Dart thought to himself, rather disappointed.

* * *

><p>Alice walked through the dimly-lit streets of Death City. She had one instruction given to her by Lord Death: <em>After school ends, go to the Patchwork Lab on the outskirts of the city, you'll know when you see it.<em> He told Alice. What kind of vague order was that? Her eyes shifted left and right, she could swear she was hearing noises. She looked straight ahead and tried to ignore it as best as she could.

"_Caw caw!" _Upon hearing a noise, Alice quickly turned her left arm into a blade, jerking around instinctively. What she found was a crow; minding it's own business on a twisted tree branch. Alice turned back around and deactivated her blade arm, grumbling to herself.

When she saw it, Alice stopped in her tracks. It was secluded from the rest of the city, and now Alice could see why. It had a run-down, disorderly vibe and the whole building looked as if it had been loosely stitched together. Alice took her time as she walked up to the entrance of the Patchwork Lab. Her feet trembled in her sturdy black boots as she stood at the entrance. She forced her shaky hand to become a fist as she knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly with a foreboding creak. Although she was quite literally, quaking in her boots. She cleared her throat and tried to eliminate all traces of fear within her. The man's face in front of her was obstructed by smoke, and he was wearing a messy labcoat. Alice coughed as she got closer the smoke. His skin was pale, almost ghostly. The man waved his hand in front of his face to clear the smoke. Now that Alice could see, she could tell that he was wearing thick, circle-shaped glasses preventing view of his eyes.

"You're here for the wavelength matching, right?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"Y-yes. I'm Alice Robinson-" She began.

"Yes, yes, I already got that part. Lord Death told me the details. Come in, it's cold outside." Said the mad doctor. Alice, already having her doubts about the supposed teacher, reluctantly walked in. The room was lit by a pink glow coming from two lone candles. Besides a small, red carpet in the center of the room, there was no furniture in the room whatsoever.

"Sit down." He said, rather abruptly. Alice quickly did as he said, sitting on the edge of the carpet clutching her knees, already beginning to feel unnerved. "You should really fix that, you know." The professor advised, sitting on the opposite end of the carpet.

"Fix what?" Alice said defensively. The past few days had been strange for her. All of a sudden she was going from an elite to a rookie within the blink of an eye. This sudden role reversal had not been faring well for her own self-esteem.

"Your tension. It's more than a little obvious. Relax." He said. Alice sat in a meditation pose, and closed her eyes, taking slow breaths. Somehow, the longer she remained in this state, she felt as if her burdens seemed lighter than they actually were. "If you're going to be a weapon here, you can't act so high and mighty. That's what this is for; to instill humbleness. Two hours, complete silence. Understand?" Alice nearly objected to it, but didn't want to prove his point.

Stein stifled a chuckle. "Oh come on, don't give me the cold shoulder." He joked, obviously testing her patience.

"This is going to be horrible, isn't it?" Alice grumbled.

"No talking." Stein replied. Alice moaned.

**Author's Notes: Anyways, constructive criticism is welcome as always. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Prologue: Suffering Builds Character

The sky was a clear blue. The sun was laughing cheerfully, emitting rays of intense heat. No clouds were in view, providing an unobstructed view of the horizon. And Dart was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down nervously, with Sid standing just behind him, expecting him to dive off to the bottom.

"J-jump? Mister Barrett, you're joking!" A twelve-year old Dart turned to face his mentor, his face turning pale. Sid merely shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Nope." He replied calmly. "You want to be an academy student, don't you?" He asked sternly, tilting his head and awaiting a response. Dart stood frozen in fear, sucking in his gut as he continued to stare down at the long drop. "It'll be harmless. Just jump."

"No no, it's alright." Sid said, faking sincerity. "Of course, I understand. After all, there's no shame in being chicken." His words hit Dart like a bullet. He didn't come this far just to be labeled as a coward. Dart spun around, thoroughly annoyed at his mentor.

"_Hey!_ Excuse you sir, I'm not scared!" Dart stomped his foot, causing the ground beneath him to crumble, although he was too flustered to notice. "If you want me to jump so badly, _I will!_ Heck, I'll do it right now-" Dart yelped as he fell backwards off the cliff. His hair whipped around in all directions in the wind, muddling his vision as he desperately flailed around, hoping to miraculously grab onto some branch or rock. Directly above him, Dart could faintly make out Sid standing at the edge of the cliff looking down at him, before turning and walking away.

"_M-Mister Barett! Don't go! I'm sooooory!" _He helplessly cried as he shut his eyes and braced himself for impact. What would come first, the crackthat would come from his back as his spine broke in two? Or would he taste the thick, crimson red blood spilling from his mouth? Perhaps both?

As it turned out, neither. Dart blinked several times, before realizing he was suspended in midair by… Something. Dart tried to move his arm, but it's movement felt limited for whatever reason. The same applied to his other arm, and his legs. After a few seconds, it became apparent to Dart that his body was being held up by thin, near-invisible strings. _Classic Sid. _Dart thought, unable to keep himself from smiling. Within the blink of an eye, Sid crashed to the ground, leaving a crater where he stood.

"Congratulations," Began Sid. "you passed." He said, crossing his arms. By the looks of it, he was quite satisfied with his little trick, closely examining the near-invisible threads with a grin.

"Yeah! I passed! Wait, what did I do?" Dart's excitement faded into confusion, because, for all intents and purposes, he didn't do anything but fall off the cliff.

"I gave you my word, you believed me. Trust is the foundation of any kind of friendship."

"Heh, yeah, guess I did." Dart said, he felt a little strange inside accepting his 'reward' for what was actually a fluke, but he embraced it nonetheless.

"Uh… Mr. Barett?" Dart asked, his face turning as red as a ripe tomato. "I'm kinda stuck." He attempted to struggle his way out of the thin, yet somehow incredibly durable string.

"You'll find a way out." Sid said with a brush of the hand, walking away from the scene.

"Wait!" Dart cried, but to no avail. His stomach growled. "Aw man, now I'm hungry."

* * *

><p>In the three months after that day, little has changed. Same crafty Sid, same gullible Dart. Over time, Dart began to get used to Sid's mind games. Sort of. When they come, he's caught off guard, but he always has the sneaking suspicion beforehand that something's coming.<p>

Dart stood, stretching his legs out in a vacant lot in Death City that was going to be demolished soon. It was a straight, open street that went on for at least half of a mile. "Get from here to the end of the street. I'll be timing you." Sid said, pointing straight ahead.

"No tricks? You mean, no crocodiles, pies, or boulders? Nothing?" Dart asked, baffled. It wasn't normal for Sid to plan an assignment without some gimmick.

"Nope. No tricks. Get to the end. We'll see how far your training has gotten you." Sid said, in his usual stern voice.

Dart wiped the sweat off his forehead. "That's a relief. Anytime you're ready, Mr. Barett." Dart said, with a wide, toothy grin. He put his two index fingers on the ground and limbered up, stretching out on the pavement.

"Three… Two… One…." Sid, placed his thumb on top of a stopwatch. "_GO!_" Sid cried. With that, Dart bolted. The only thing he could hear was his summer sandals clomping on the ground as he sprinted.

As he ran, Dart began to feel the need to spice things up. Running in place just didn't excite him, and Sid didn't say he _couldn't_ do anything else. Once he had hit his peak running speed, he began to take small hops, then jumps, continuously jumping higher and higher until he was practically bouncing on a trampoline. On the final jump, Dart had bounded high enough to land on the rooftops of the two-story apartments, taking the high road. _Nailed it! _Dart thought to himself, fueling his ego.

* * *

><p>"Hook, line, and sinker." Sid smirked to himself as he looked at Dart through a pair of binoculars. From his pocket, he pulled a remote with a single button on it. "The kind of man I am isn't one to do this to kids. Good thing he turned thirteen." Nonchalantly, Sid pressed the button, watching, wondering how his pupil would handle his little surprise.<p>

* * *

><p>In an instant, everything turned bright. Dart could no longer feel his feet on the roof as he shot up, propelled by an intense force. While airborne, Dart could see one of the vacant test buildings just behind him up in flames. The intent was clear. Sid had rigged the area with explosives.<p>

"He said no tricks!" Dart muttered to himself. His body tumbled through the air a few more times before finally touching the hard cement on the street, thankfully landing on his feet. Of course Sid would try to throw him off. Nevertheless, Dart kicked back up to a running pace, determined to get to the end.

More explosions leveled the area, coming from practically everywhere. The road, the buildings, and even the lampposts had some kind of incendiary element to them. The flames scorched Dart's clothes and singed his skin, but he shut his eyes tight, and ran through the smoke and flames, coughing and wheezing all the way through. _Just… Keep… Running! _He thought. It had to be almost over! He could see the end within view when-

Chunks of debris went flying everywhere onto the street, blocking the way ahead. Dart immediately turned behind him. Fire was everywhere. Turning back wasn't an option. Then it struck him. Maybe he could find a slim path through the wreckage? It was worth a shot. Dart let out a desperate cry as he ran towards the remains of the building in front of him.

In the moment, his right hand began to illuminate with some sort of faint electricity. "What the…" While running, Dart took a moment to look at his hand. It was only his lucky guess on what it could do, but luck was what he needed right now. With his right palm withdrawn, Dart was only a few feet away from the debris. The cackling electricity still surrounded his hand. Skidding to a halt, he shut his eyes as tight as he could, and slammed his palm against the ruins of the building.

Once more, Dart heard a loud, echoing noise, but this time, it didn't come from an explosion. Whatever he had just done, it had scattered the debris, giving him barely enough room for him to run through the debris. It had felt as if a burst of air had come from his palm, and dispersed immediately afterwards. The static from his hand had left as quickly as it came.

"There it is!" Dart could see the end of the street at last. His legs began to run so fast that it almost felt like he was gliding on the ground. "_YES!"_ Dart's sprint devolved into a slow jog as neared the end. Sid, in all his ninja-like glory, had found a way to beat Dart to the end of the street, much to the child's shock.

"Seventy one seconds." Sid informed, reading straight from the stopwatch. Sid took a brief look at Dart covered in ash and soot. "Looks like it went pretty well."

"Yeah, except for the part where you, uh..."

"Yeah, that. No hard feelings." At this point, Sid began to question if he used a smidge too much force. His eyes fell to the sidewalk, gritting his teeth in hard thought.

"Good." Dart smiled half-heartedly. The two of them fiddled around for a few seconds before Dart broke the ice with a question. "Wait, Sid-I mean Mister Barrett, can I ask you something?"

"Eh?"

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" Dart asked, unsure of how to segway into his real question.

"Where are you going with this?"

"W-Well, y'see, back when I ran through the debris, my hand...It...It glowed. I shoved my hand against the debris like _this._" Dart gave his mentor a visual, forcing his palm forward against the air. "...And the rubble just...Cleared up." Sid nodded to clarify that he understood.

Sid scratched his head, and put his fist below his chin, looking as if he was searching for the right words. "Stein's more knowledgeable about this stuff anyway." He began. "Sounds to me what you just described was Soul Force, powered by the user's soul, and directly attacks the victim's soul. It's considered a dangerous weapon by many due to the sheer unpredictability behind it. A weak-looking person could have a killer soul, and vice versa."

"I could only really shuffle around some scrap. Does that mean I have a weak soul?" Dart wondered aloud, looking up at Sid.

Sid froze, immediately changing the subject. "...We can discuss more later. Let's grab some lunch."

**AN: So, this details what kind of 'training' Dart went through before the timeskip. I'm glad to answer any questions, so don't hesitate to ask. Also, I'm always striving to improve my writing style, so if you have any criticisms or comments, I'm listening.**


	5. The curtains rise! A match made in hell?

The year is 2009. _Two years._ Alice had spent two years devoting her life to syncing her soul for meister use under Professor Stein's tutelage. She was no longer the unsure, nervous twelve year old arriving at Death City. She was fourteen now, and things were going to be different. She was sure of it. Before she left her apartment, she made sure everything was in order.

She looked in the mirror. Was her hair perfectly straight? Alice smirked as she looked at herself. Check. Next, she activated her partial transformation, morphing her arm into a blade. Was it spotless and shiny? Check, and check.

Then, she changed out of her light-blue polka dot pajamas, and into her DWMA attire. A green, academy-issued uniform, emblazoned with Lord Death's skull insignia, and a tie. Not too fashionable, but it got the job done. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at the parking lot.

Alice sighed. "Time isn't going to slow down for me. It's my 'big day' after all." Alice took a breath. Although she put on a mask of confidence and professionality, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She went back inside, and walked out of her apartment room and down the stairs of the building, carrying a light backpack.

The walk to the bus stop was a short one, taking only about three minutes. It was on the border of the city, where in front of you, one could see miles of desert, and behind you, Death City stood, in all it's glory.

It appeared, however, that Alice wasn't the first one to the bus stop. Someone else, much to her disappointment, was already there. He had shaggy, somewhat spiky hair, and some cheap-looking grey leather jacket.

_Hmph. Typical 'cool kid'. We'll see how far he makes it without dying. _Alice glared briefly at the teen, before turning towards the street, awaiting the bus.

"So… Where you headed?" The teen spoke up from behind. Was he trying to start conversation?

"You're not making this any less awkward." Alice dismissed him quickly, not even bothering to turn around.

"Y-yeah, no biggie, I mean, I've been in tons of awkward situations before, you?" He asked. Whoever he was, he seemed awfully determined to make friends.

Alice didn't reply. It was then that she heard the loud, obnoxious humming of an engine nearby. _Oh thank god… _Alice thought. She tapped her foot, it would be only seconds now before it arrived.

"Oh, hey, it's the bus! Catch ya later… Uh, what was your name again?" The teen asked, quite obviously embarrassed, scratching his head and avoiding eye contact.

"Alice Robinson." She blurted out. _Damn!_ Alice thought. The only reason she had told him was out of pure instinct; in her younger years, whenever an adult asked her name, she was to respond. She quickly pushed past the teen and hopped onto the bus, desperate to find a seat. All the front seats were reserved for someone else or taken, so she was forced towards the back, with all of the social outcasts. At the very back of the bus, Alice could see it. An open, unoccupied seat. She wasted no time in jumping on the seat, securing it.

The ride was only about twelve minutes or so, but it felt like ages to Alice. The embodiment of obnoxious was contained on that bus. Cramped, unsanitary, loud, _everything_ seemed out to annoy Alice that morning. But at least that irritating boy was out of her way, hopefully.

Students crammed to the front of the bus, stampeding upon themselves. The bus driver of course, did nothing to correct this behavior. Alice sighed, and slowly moved up the long line leading to the exit of the bus. She sucked in her gut as she took those last few steps off the bus. Her 'strong and confident' personality was no longer a facade. It was a reality.

* * *

><p>"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! OOOOOONE! <em>ZEEEEEEERO!" <em>Dart and several other students chanted as the bus had finally reached the grand academy. Dart raised two triumphant fists in the air as the bus's destination had finally been reached; the grand academy, the DWMA. As soon as he jolted out of his seat to reach the academy, he was pushed back by dozens of other students who intended to do the same. There was no way he could be held back, not by this. He took a deep breath, stretching his muscles. His mother always said, if you want something done right, you have to do it _forcefully._ _Here we go!_ Dart thought.

"Sorry! Comin' through! My bad! 'Scuse me! My bad! Sorry! Whoops…" Dart shoved his way past the aggravated wave of students on the bus apologetically. Dart had to admit, he couldn't help but feel a _little_ guilty. As soon as his foot touched the cement, he felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It had been two years since he had actually been to the academy itself, when he first arrived. He almost zoned out entirely had it not been for the crowd of students trampling over him. He came back to his senses, and joined the charge towards the academy with the other students.

_If there was one thing Sid taught me, it was to choose your friends wisely…_ Dart thought as he rubbed his chin, studying the various cliques. It took only moments for Dart to spot them. The outlandish, designer clothes. Those shiny, fancy cell phones. The ever-so gaudy makeup and piercings. People flocked to them like sheep to the shepherds. They were the fabled 'cool kids'. Dart bit his lip to prevent himself from saying something stupid. Being a homeschooled child, Dart himself never got to experience the joys of these strange kinds of allegiances and clubs. Most of his knowledge of such groups came from cheesy sitcoms. Today could be his lucky break!

_Alright Dart… Think of something clever, something witty! Wow them with your charm! _Dart thought. He put on a smirk to mask his own nervousness, and began walking over to the cool kids. There was five of them, all hanging by a broken-down bench. He looked down at his clothes one last time. A dark-grey leather jacket, a crimson t-shirt with the design of a bright red target. Underneath those were some plain black sweatpants and some worn blue sneakers. He gave himself a mental thumbs-up before continuing to approach the group.

* * *

><p>Morning today had felt especially obnoxious for Alice. Lots of people, lots of chatter, and little-to-no quiet spaces. She had just barely managed to secure a bench seat under a tree's shade, but even that would provide no solace from the noise. She tried to keep her focus on the book, but one particularly talkative clique a short ways away from her was driving her mad.<p>

"Heya!" Alice looked up with a pursed frown, recognizing that voice from earlier. That country bumpkin had somehow worked up the courage to approach the clique, engaging in a conversation that she couldn't hear. He spoke, and they seemed to laugh along with him, yet their reactions looked so false, with unlively eyes not matching their cooing laughter. And of course, he bought their act like the fool he was, waving them away as they abandoned them.

Alice shook her head and smirked. "You poor bastard…" She had witnessed the whole thing. _Serves him right…_ She thought bitterly. Just as she was about to return to minding her own business, the morning bell rung, and the students flooded into the front doors, like moths to a flame. She cursed silently to herself before reluctantly making her way through the crowd.

* * *

><p>The hours and classes seemed to fly by so quickly as the day dragged on, not that Dart really minded. He had waited for a chance like this for a long time. The teachers and staff were pretty merciful to new students, but he just figured they would get strict by next week. It was pretty nice to get with a clique on the first day, so he considered himself lucky. Oddly enough though, they didn't really talk to or associate with him after their meeting. He dismissed it as shyness and went on with his day. His eyes locked onto the wall-mounted digital clock of his eighth period class, waiting for that last digit to tick.<p>

"Hello? Is this thing working? Good. We hope you enjoyed your first day at the DWMA! PEACE!" Lord Death's, 'remarkable' voice echoed throughout the school on the intercom. Dart blinked, returning to reality after zoning out for nearly an entire class. He left post-haste, breezing through the halls jubilantly.

_I already introduced myself, the rest should be a stroll in the park… I hope._ Dart put on a not-so-confident smile as he inched his way out of the school's exit. Outside, he made his way to the school's back where he had met the clique, where it rested in the school's shadow.

"Huh…" Dart scratched his head in mild confusion. "Nobody's here…" He said, staring down at the broken-down bench. "Probably just showing up fashionably late…" He falsely assured himself. To distract himself, he stared at the sky, bored. It was a nice shade of orange, and the sun had already begun to set, snoring rather loudly.

"_A-hem_," His eyes descended from the sky to see someone standing in front of him. Something about her seemed oddly familiar.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but your 'friends' left you." Her arms were crossed, looking at him like he was born yesterday.

"W-what?! C'mon, they wouldn't ditch me…" He replied defensively.

"Okay then, riddle me this. Where _did_ they go?" The girl retorted.

"Oh, right. They're...They're, uh..."

"Please, continue. I'm waiting for an answer." The girl seemed to take increasing pleasure in Dart's own misfortune, watching him grow flustered.

"...Alright, you got me. But I don't get it… Where'd I go wrong?" Utter disappointment had sunk in, wishing he hadn't approached them in the first place.

"For starters, you're lacking in anything resembling charm. Now, excuse me, I must be going now..." She tried to ditch, but to no avail.

"Wait a sec." Dart's voice was tentative, looking with an increasing familiarity at her.

"Hm?" She turned around, on the verge of ditching him.

"I know you...!" Well, maybe 'know' was a strong word, but he had her name, at least.

She raised an eyebrow, but her expression remained flat. "Do you now?"

"Alice Robinson, right?" Now her interest looked somewhat piqued, dropping some of her stoic demeanor as she stared back with wider eyes.

She flipped her hair, adorning a confident smirk which only served to confuse Dart. "A name you won't soon forget. I'll admit, I had some doubts, but, I've grown desperate."

"T-Thanks?" Admittedly, he wasn't sure how to respond. She had gone from cold to..._less _cold in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, and would you look at that. You're a meister." She closely inspected the tag on his shirt, which had been issued to all meisters that day. "Well now, how about it, you..."

"That's Dart D. Cay for ya. Nice to meetcha!" He offered his hand, which she shook with a notable reluctance.

"Right then, Dart. Do you want to create a Death Scythe?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I guess so, yeah."

Her eyes narrowed. "You _guess_?" Dart stood as straight as an arrow, quickly correcting his mistake.

"No, I want to. I really want to." He scratched anxiously at his head as he diverted his eyes, not daring to look back at that freezing stare.

"Then we're settled. By the by, you're moving into my flat room. I've got a choice few ground rules to set."

"Alrighty then!" Dart hurried ahead, scampering down the sidewalk to get back to his own apartment room to grab his belongings. _Alice is...somethin', alright. I dunno if I should trust her or not..._ He ruminated, still keeping a brisk pace. _She's determined. Yeah. That's the word. Determined. _If she had a drive to become Death Scythe, perhaps that was all he needed, despite how abrasive she could be. _Maybe I should send her a thank-you card... _

**AN: And, that's a wrap. As always, questions, comments, and critiques are welcome.**


	6. Intro: Julian Leone

"Yo."

There isn't an incredible warmth radiating from the voice on the other end, his sentences swift and his words casual. "...Are you even there?" His tone raises, only to descend into an exasperated sigh. "Whatever, figures. It's Julian. Julian Leone." Not even a minute in and he already sounds weary of conversation, but still, he stays on the line.

"You know something, don't you? Yeah, don't play dumb. You know everything that's going on. You know _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls _and just what the Hell it is. If you know _everything_, don't you have some kinda responsibility to tell us—"

The phone is shaking in his hands, and its audible. "Y'know what? Screw it. Just screw it. This ain't gonna mean diddly-squat in a few chapters anyway, to you or me, so screw it."

"Welcome to _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls._ Enjoy your read."

* * *

><p>"Yeah, it was no sweat. Took on five or six of 'em, no biggie." Leading a sizable posse behind him, Julian Leone strutted through the past the lockers of the DWMA like the badass he assumed himself to be. Questions from his friends bombarded him, but he merely combed his slicked blonde hair, simply too cool to pay them any mind. Even the lights in the hallway grew brighter as he walked by, the tiled floors gleaming from the aura he radiated.<p>

"H-hey! Excuse me!" Just as the group turned a corner, they were greeted by a tall student adorned in a neon belt and a tag that read 'HALL MONITOR' in huge, bolded letters. Julian's posse began to panic, but he gave them a knowing grin and gestured for them to shut up. "You're _loitering. _Classes started a half-hour ago! I demand to see your passes!"

"_Riiiight._ Sorry sir, my bad. We'll be on our way, right guys?" Julian patted the senior on the back, brushing past him without a second glance.

"Wait! We aren't done here!" A hand roughly gripped Leone by his white jacket, yanking him back in front of the hall monitor. "This is a referral, kid. Report to the Death Room, _immediately._" He shoved a pink slip onto Julian's chest, glaring furiously at him.

"Woah, pal, you know who you're talkin' to?" Julian smirked. "Y'see, I'm Julian Leone, and I don't really take kindly to this little paper here. Ain't that right, boys?" He advanced on the much taller student in a display of intimidation, but he wasn't fazed in the slightest. Julian cleared his throat and snapped, repeating himself. "_...Ain't that right, boys?_" Stealing a glance behind him, he quickly noticed his posse had ditched, leaving him at the hall monitor's mercy. _...Dammit. _Julian bit his lip and stifled a nervous laugh, before personally getting dragged to the Death Room.

* * *

><p>Julian put his chin up high. "I'm really sorry teach. Won't happen again. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a nail in my—" He profusely apologized, knowing that Lord Death wasn't exactly the strict type.<p>

"It's fine, don't worry about it! Just please, _try_ not to let it happen again. You are dismissed." Julian nodded, and began to walk out of the Death Room.

"Actually, while you're still here, there's something I need to talk to you about…" The teen froze in his tracks, sweating up a storm. He forced his body to turn around, meeting Lord Death's empty stare.

"Y-yeah sure… What is it, teach?" Julian barely managed to spit it out. He was standing tall, but his legs were quivering.

"It's about your record…" Lord Death pulled a file from his cloak and read it over. "You have collected exactly… Let's see… Zero Kishin egg souls out of ninety-nine. In the timespan of six months."

He meekly tugged at collar. "So, uh, what's today's lunch special?" Julian asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Gyros and onion rings, why do you ask?" Lord Death said, tilting his head.

"I'm just really h-hungry, y'know, sir? Come to think of it, lunch is like, right now, right? Welp, s-see ya!" Julian said, powerwalking out of the Death Room.

"Wait a second!" Lord Death reached across the vast room and grabbed Julian, bringing him back to the center of the room. "I see what you're trying to pull, mister!" Lord Death huffed. "You just tried to change the subject and leave didn't you?!" Lord Death poked his oversized finger onto Julian's nose, pestering him.

"Nooo, of course not sir! It just, uh, slipped my mind is all!" He insisted, trying to sound amiable as possible. _Dammit he's onto me…_ He thought.

"Now, may we continue where we left off?" Lord Death asked, still slightly miffed.

Leone gulped. "Y-yes sir, no problem at _all!_"

"I know this is hard to take in, but you have to get some work done sometime. You can't just float around the academy and do nothing, you know. It takes up dorm space! If you don't do anything, we'll just have to expel you!" Lord Death lectured.

Julian bit his lip for a moment. "_Whaddya mean I can't just stay here?!"_ He bursted into waterworks, any semblance of pride he once had dashed in all but an instant. "_C'mon man, listen! It's scary out there! Murderers, serial killers! They're insane! Pleeease listen!" _Julian cried, pleading.

Lord Death cocked his head. "Couldn't you just go home then?"

"_I can't go home! I'm cool here! I love it here!" _He wailed.

"Well this is certainly…conflicting. You want to stay in this academy?" Leone nodded, whimpering.

"Then we'll just pair you up with a meister then!" Lord Death suggested.

"But I'm scared, man!" He blubbered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything'll go fine. You're dismissed now."

"O-okay…" Julian sulked out of the Death Room, his ego depleted.

* * *

><p>"Dude, your face is all red, what happened?" A taller boy asked, part of Julian's posse.<p>

"Lord Death threw some sand in my eyes, w-what a clumsy guy, huh?" Julian quickly rebounded, barely piecing his facade back together.

**AN: Yup. This is the new character. Like always, feel free to share your comments, critiques, questions, etc.**


	7. Intro: Cassiel

"Ah, greetings!"

The tone is earnest and eager, obviously not trying to hide much. "And your name is...?" A gap fills her speech, awaiting a reply that would never come. She clears her throat, swallows a gulp, before finally catching on. "...Oh. Do not be perturbed, potential friend! I understand completely. You may refer to me by my birth name, Cassiel."

Abruptly, the phone cuts to static, signifying that she had hung up. A few echoing beeps emit from the phone, before it starts ringing once more.

"This...This is _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls_." The voice on the other end has diminished significantly, with a slight wavering in her speech. "What... What does that mean? I can't, I simply can't..."

Another bout of silence. Her voice grows distant and incomprehensible, talking with someone just beyond earshot of the receiver.

"Welcome to _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls. _Enjoy your read."

* * *

><p><em>What is an Esper?<em>

_I have only a rough comprehension. The schoolteacher who visits tells me I'm endangered, whenever I ask. It's because I'm endangered that I'm in this room. Correction, been in this room for my life. I have no issue with that. There are books, a bed, adequate space to float, and a mirror. But what of the outside? Is there something larger awaiting me, or was teacher right all along? I... I'm growing restless. I won't be satisfied, never, until I discover the meaning of the Esper heritage that binds me so!_

* * *

><p>Have you ever noticed the way your shoes echo against the floor when you walk alone in a dark hallway? It gives a real sense of emptiness. Even a Death Scythe like Spirit Albarn had to admit it was pretty eerie. He tried his best to walk fast, worried that something might jump out at him the moment he hesitated. He was assigned by Lord Death to fetch "the Esper", who had supposedly been resting there for thirteen years. Thirteen years of utter solitude would be enough to drive anyone mad, and the rumors of "a monster under the academy" didn't seem so far from the truth now.<p>

There it was. It was a thick steel door labeled with the monster's name on a gold plate. _Esper, Cassiel. _"Pretty name for a monster…" Spirit outwardly snarked. He grabbed hold of the handle firmly, taking his sweet time as he opened the door as slowly as possible.

"H-Hello!" The Death Scythe was greeted with face-to-face with the monster herself, mere inches away. Spirit recoiled onto the ground, catching his breath. The girl floating in front of him didn't seem that monstrous, or at the very least, didn't look the part.

"This is a...surprise, as you call it?" She tilted her head, looking down at Spirit.

The Death Scythe pointed to his left, still dazed and confused. "Just go in that room over there…"

**AN: Thus ends the intro chapters. Apologies for introducing a new species into the Soul Eater universe, but believe me when I say I've got this (roughly) planned out in advance, so I feel confident as to what I'm doing. But of course, critiques, comments, and questions are welcome and encouraged.**


	8. First day on the job! A day to remember?

AN: Blood/Gore warning, just so y'know.

"_G-GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" _A hopeless young victim shrieked. Blood dripped down from her chest, onto the streets of Transylvania. His killer yanked the murder weapon; a wooden stake; out from the victim's chest, and devoured his soul, setting his sights on a petrified bystander.

"Hey." A voice cried. It sounded distinctly male. The killer stopped in his tracks, looking up at it. He was covered in shadow, casted by the moonlight. A metal glint reflected from the silhouette.

"Blood-drainer Vlad the Impaler, your soul's mine for the taking…" The silhouette said. The killer readied himself for battle, but he noticed the figure in front of him wasn't moving.

"...Uh, wait no, that didn't sound right. What about, 'Your soul is mine?'; nah, too scary… Wait, wait! I know! How about 'Justice will be served?', gah, too dorky! Lemme think for a minute…" The silhouette stopped in place, wondering and tapping its foot, deep in thought.

"We don't have time to think! Just get moving, imbecile!" A female voice voice chastised. The second voice had a slight, but noticeable metallic chime to it.. Now it was clear what was happening. The silhouette was not one person, but two. A weapon and a meister from the DWMA.

"S-Sssouullls! Souls! SOULS!" The murderer howled, jumping from the ground to the roof the meister was standing on in mere seconds. As he advanced on the boy, he could see everything he desired from a potential victim. A face dumbstruck with fear, unable to process that their untimely death was only a few moments away. Instead of stabbing him, he bashed him into a dumpster to weaken his prey, figuring it would take more than that to kill him.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Dart! What happened back there? Did your body decide to freeze up at the most <em>crucial moment?"<em> Alice said, more than displeased with his performance.

"Sorry I just…." Dart began. Briefly, he felt his subconscious tug at him, pulling at memories he'd rather forget.

_Red, dripping, cold. Is that my own heartbeat I feel? Or is it his? Beating out a few more times before he…._

Dart blinked. "...Thought my first mission would go smoother, I guess. Let's try that again." Dart suggested hesitantly . Alice gave him a skeptical nod, and refocused her gaze on the target.

"I hunger!" Vladimir flew at the dumpster, throwing his body at it. Dart's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. At the last moment, his body untensed and he jumped to his right, landing on a sidewalk.

"Heads up, Vlad!" Dart, with renewed self-confidence, ran at the kishin egg in a blur. Just steps away from colliding into him, Dart jumped feet-first at the beast, dropkicking him. His plump body cruised straight through the brick wall next to the dumpster, and into the lobby of an unlucky local hotel.

Dart peeked into the hotel, praying he didn't accidentally kill anyone besides the kishin egg. The hotel receptionist stood horrified, clutching a newspaper. "S-Sorry! I'll send the bill to you later!" He apologized in English.

"Note to self: reduce collateral damage…" Dart mumbled to himself. Meanwhile, Vlad the Impaler was staggering back up from that last attack, seething with bloodlust. His pure white cravat was stained not with a victim's blood, but his own. He bared his knuckles, and walked slowly over to his target, ignoring the cowering manager behind him.

"Get ready for close-combat…" Alice advised. Dart highered the sword, waiting for his opponent to strike so he could defend, or if he was lucky, counter.

"Grrgh… GRAH!" He grunted, he reached back with one arm, making his next move easy to telegraph. He swung forward with the stake, Dart, having been watching rather carefully, slid back and waited for the right opportunity.

"Alright, NOW!" Dart gasped and went in for a horizontal cut, hoping to (literally) tear him a new one. And although his bulky arm obscured most of his face, he could see in that moment that Vlad was smiling.

Surprisingly agile for a man of his size, he quickly pulled out a crossbow from a back pocket, and shot Dart with his free arm. Dart, having been caught off-guard by this sudden attack, stumbled back into the rubble of the building.

"B-Blood…" Through Dart's jacket, the fine red liquid spilled out for all to see. Seeing this, Dart put his hand around where the arrow was, attempting to hide it, or at the very least stop it from bleeding. But it was too late; Vlad could smell it. He dropped his crossbow and his wooden stake, sulking towards him, crazed by the scent.

At this point, Dart was terrified. From the ground, the Impaler looked so large and imposing, it was hard not to be intimidated. His grip on Alice was shaky, but it was still there. Still, he found himself locked into a state of fear once more.

"Dart," Alice began, in a calm tone of voice. "Listen to me." She ordered.

"Listen to me if you _want to live."_ She whispered, her words finally reaching him.

"The demon standing in front of you… It is lesser than you. It has become corrupted by the fear; the very same fear that runs within you right now. Is this what you want? To be an example of how humans will always be conquered by their own emotions?"

"I don't… I've got things to do… Places to go…"

"You don't? _Then fight it!_ Challenge your fate! Just, please, _do something!" _Alice yelled.

"Fight it, huh…" Dart dwelled on it for a few seconds, finally starting to get back on two feet. Dart tapped the blade on his shoulder for a second.

"B-Blood… Give me…." Vlad stared down at the boy, with eyes as black as buttons. Dart defiantly glared down the beast, entering a staredown with it.

"The only thing I would ever give you is a breath mint, pal." Dart quickly stood up, but not before kneeing the Impaler in the jaw. Dart's grip on the sword became firm, gearing up for the next phase of the battle. Dart took the offensive, swinging the sword in a repeated pattern; diagonal, horizontal, vertical. Vlad could do nothing but block as the boy swung faster and faster, frenzying him.

It was then that Dart heard it, a cracking noise; the splitting of wood. Dart looked down at the floor. Vlad's wooden stake lay there, or at least half of it. Dart looked back up at Vlad, who was every bit surprised that Dart was. The meister smiled bashfully, proud of himself, but also fearing for his life knowing that he had probably just supremely pissed off a serial killer.

Vlad, fueled by his own anger, threw a heavy punch, Dart blocked instinctively, so the recoil was only enough to send him skidding back a few feet. The Impaler's eyes twitched, furious that his prey was still alive and mocking him. He foamed at the mouth as he cracked his knuckles and ran at Dart, with nothing but pure killing intent. His arms sagged back, presumably preparing to punish the puny person before him.

"Oh, poor thing, he's left himself exposed… I suspect you and your soaring IQ can figure out what to do from here. " Alice crossed her arms and watched, waiting patiently.

"Heh, yeah. I can take it from here." Dart nodded. As he saw Vlad charging, he raised the sword once more, narrowing his eyes at the beast.

Dart's veins pulsated with adrenaline, watching his opponent draw closer and closer. Though the distance between was short, and he was running fast, the meister felt as if the moment dragged on forever. Dart's eyes opened and shut. He was ready, and he would not hesitate, not during the moment of truth.

"Now, _off with his head!"_ Alice did a horizontal swipe with her arm, sounding just a little too excited. Dart braced himself one last time, right as Vladimir descended upon him. Without looking, his arms held Alice tight and cut. The air shrieked, and to his surprise, Dart wasn't dead. Vlad stopped, and stumbled directly behind Dart, clutching his chest.

Vlad was standing absolutely still, showing no signs of movement whatsoever. A second passed, and then another, until it happened. There was a slow, wet sliding sound, and Vlad's head came clean off, hitting the ground with a plop. His body quickly evaporated, leaving only his corrupted soul.

The blade glowed a bright light as Alice turned from weapon to human. She walked over to the soul, and from her satchel, she pulled something out.

"Uh, Alice? What are you…" Dart peeked over, looking at what she was doing. Upon closer examination, she was eating the soul… With a fork and a knife.

"Did you expect me to swallow it whole? Please, I'm more dignified than that." Alice glared at Dart, before dividing the soul into neat portions, eating them slowly.

After finishing it, Alice dabbed her face with a napkin. "Now that that's that, let's get back to Death City, shall we? I've got studies to catch up on."

"Oooh! Can I drive the scooter? Please?" Dart begged.

"No."

"Aw."

AN: So there's Dart and Alice's first chapter for you. Per usual, I welcome questions, comments, and criticism with open arms.


	9. A light in the dark! A day to remember?

"It's right down this hallway. You're up for this, right?" Spirit looked down at the boy, Julian Leone, with uncertain eyes.

"Don't worry about it, teach..." Julian muttered.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, kid." Spirit muttered. After a few minutes of silence, they reached their destination.

"Go ahead. It's in there." Spirit said, leaning on the wall beside the cell door.

"H-Hold on a sec! You're just gonna leave me alone with that… _thing?" _Julian glared at his superior with a mix of anger and fear.

Spirit snickered. "Oh, come on. You're not _scared_,are you? _" _Having worked at the academy for god-knows-how-many years, he knew the way teens ticked. Treat 'em like children, and challenge their ego.

Julian quickly flashed Spirit an unconfident smirk. "Do I _look_ scared?" Julian opened the door and slammed it shut. He braced himself for terror, and sucked in his gut.

"H-hey! Monster-mutant-hybrid-thing! You can show yourself n-now!" Julian's voice started out loud, but as he trembled, it faded into the dark void of the room. He backed towards the door, but his back thumped against the cold steel. He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for the unknown. _It'll be quick… It'll be over soon…_ He thought in vain. He gulped, his throat terribly dry.

"Oh! You must be my weapon partner, I assume! It is a great honor for me to meet you, yes?"

_You're joking, right?_ Julian thought. The voice had a high-pitched tone to it, not a hint of malice or anger; it was actually almost cute how awkward it sounded. Julian cautiously and slowly opened his eyes. His sight confirmed that the thing in front of him was definitely female. She had long, pink, ruffled hair that was kept in pigtails, going down as far as her waist. The girl had ghostly pale skin, looking as if she hadn't stepped outside in years. She also had a long, loose-fitting blue robe that looked like a rejected hand-me-down. Yet despite all this, she still had a smile, clear-as-day glued to her face.

"Uh… Yeah. I'm a weapon. So I guess we're partners now-" Julian's mouth was touching the fine fabric that made up the girl's robe as she caught him in a tight hug. He spit out some fluff from the cloth before beginning to speak.

"Hey, hey! Easy! Personal space, lady!" He spat out, ignoring the fact that he was barking at the very thing he dreaded just a minute ago. She backed away with rather pitiful puppy-dog eyes. Julian rolled his eyes. _The school said they were gonna give me a monster and I got… This. Thanks guys!_ He decided to conceal his inner sarcasm from the clearly naive girl.

Spirit poked his head in, looking impatient. "Are you two done in there? I've got to catch a meeting at two…" Julian bared his teeth at the Death Scythe, realizing that Spirit had probably hand-picked his partner.

The girl behind him nodded, still holding onto that stupid, cheery grin. "We're ready, Death Scythe Spirit!" That immediately struck Julian as odd. If she had been cooped up in that room her whole life, how'd she know his name, or his title for that matter? The gears in his brain ground together for a moment, before he gave up and shrugged it off. Before he knew it, the girl grabbed hold of his hand.

"I… I-I can't wait! Let's proceed!" Within moments, Julian was whisked out the door, being pulled by the hand against his will. The girl ran so fast, it seemed unreal. She took him through the entirety of the underground portion of the school in only about three minutes. Air rushing into his face, his trembling palms grasped her hand tightly. On the main floor, they barreled through the front doors of the school, so fast that Julian was worried they would break through the glass.

"W-What the…" Upon being rushed through the front door, Julian felt a rising sensation. His legs flailed futilely, as he saw the students below him grow smaller and smaller. Finally, they stopped. Julian looked up from the ground below, and at his new surroundings. They were on top of the highest point of the academy, balancing on one of the pointed spires. His breath left him, whether it was the high altitude, or just sheer awe, he didn't know. It was so vivid, the colors flowing like a watercolor painting. The farthest reaches of the desert could be seen, from the humble plateaus to the bold crags. And, _holy shit,_ they were flying. The landscape seemed to make him forget the whole thing. Julian looked at the girl beside him, wondering if she felt the same.

Her eyes were misty, blinking back tears. He looked away as she was about to make eye contact. He scratched his head, and bit his tongue, hoping to break the awkward silence. "Uh-huh. That's the desert for ya. Now, can we _get down already?!"_ He demanded. All of the landscape looked like plain, yellow sand now. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

She nodded and smiled apologetically. The descent was somewhat nerve-wracking, wondering if he could plummet to a clumsy, painful death at any moment. When his feet touched the pavement, he let out a long bottled-in sigh. His eyes turned their attention to the girl again, reading her expression. She had the same, dumb, happy-go-lucky look as always.

"What were we going to do again? It seems to have escaped my thoughts, partner-of-mine!" She said somewhat loudly.

"Man, beats me. Y'know what, I'll catch you later, see you again in twenty years-" Julian began to walk away from the scene, until he bumped into a certain someone. _That old creep followed our asses all the way out here? _Julian looked up and scowled at the red-haired, womanizing, wimpy wuss of a Death Scythe that stood, blocking his path.

"So, Leone, where you headed?" Spirit asked, folding his arms disapprovingly. He grinded his teeth, showing obvious discontempt towards the boy.

"Don't you have a meeting to catch or something?" Julian replied back, dodging the question. "Also, flying? I don't remember signin' onto that. If you'll let me be honest, sir, I think this is just one. Big. Mistake." He said, feeling a spark of anger rise within him.

"_Listen here, ya little tapeworm…" _Spirit spoke in a harsh whisper. "_You made a commitment. Now you got to-no, HAVE to stick by it. Understand?_" Spirit growled.

"Easy there old man, don't wanna break those dentures flapping your lips all day long." Julian sidestepped around him, only for Spirit to step in front of him. Again.

"Fine, fine, let your grades down. See if I care!" Spirit threw his arms in the air dramatically and walked off. Although it was faint, Julian could've sworn he heard sniffling coming from the gruff man.

_The old man's got me there…_ Julian rubbed his chin, sweating. _It's either pair up with Ms. Astronaut over there…_ Julian looked towards the girl, who was still staring at the clouds, the sky, the desert, or whatever else looked pretty in the moment. _Or get expelled._ Julian looked towards the unforgiving desert. He rubbed his temple with his finger irritatedly, before deciding.

"Hey, you." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Let's get going. The first mission ain't gonna solve itself." He said, kicking up a little dust.

"O-Oh! Good! I'm ready when you are, partner!" She picked herself up, waving away to the butterflies.

The pair looked at the mission board, the billboard was plastered with readily available targets on wanted posters. The two had differing thoughts on what mission should be chosen. "Partner!" The girl looked over at Julian again, with a bashful smile. "Will it disturb you greatly if I choose the mission?" She fidgeted with her feet beneath her robes. Julian shrugged. "Whatever." Julian was mostly indifferent about it. They would probably take down some small-time crook who killed a guy or two. No sweat.

"Ah, partner! Please, direct your eyes to this one, if you will!" She held out a poster, but before Julian could get a proper look at it, a wave of students swamped the board, separating the two for a good thirty seconds. Afterwards, the board was stripped bare, with no more missions to go around. "So, what's on today's agenda…" Julian looked down at the paper, narrowing his eyes. His stomach flip-flopped as he scanned it over.

* * *

><p><strong>Notorious Killer<strong>

_The Dreadful Dodger_

Suspected of killing and consuming the souls of fifteen innocents.

His current whereabouts are in Athens, Greece.

He is often known to drag victims to back alleys before

* * *

><p>"Before what?!" The rest of the paper was torn off, not helping with Julian's comfort level. There was no other choice at the moment, so he had to stick with it. With a heaving sigh, he nodded. The two stood there, unsure of what to do next. Finally, the girl spoke up.<p>

"So… Where now, partner?" Partner, she called him, like they were buddies or something. It got on Julian's nerves rather quickly.

"C'mon, use your brain. Athens." He said, a little annoyed.

"I'm afraid that's going to be too difficult. After all, Greece is all the way in... Yoo-Rup? That would take far too long, even with modern transportation!" Julian noticed she hesitated when she pronounced 'Europe', or at least she _tried _to pronounce it. Clearly, this girl had never been outside much.

Julian snorted. "Honey, honey. This ain't modern transportation. This is magic. Bona-fide, straight-up, no-ways-around-it." He had to admit, it was revolutionary technology that the DWMA had access to.

* * *

><p>Julian led the girl up to the academy's second floor. After a short search, they managed to find the room labeled "TRANSPORT".<p>

"This has gotta be the one." Julian flung open the door, unintentionally slamming the door in the poor girl's face.

The room seemed straight out of a sci-fi flick, all black and white, and some freakish machine stuck smack-dab in the middle of the room. The girl seemed to be taken aback by the sheer strangeness of it.

"Betcha never seen something like this in your little dungeon, have ya?" Julian remarked, smirking. The machine was a small, circular platform, with four metal poles sticking out on the contraption. A blue light glowed from the platform, giving the slightest bit of warmth. A computer monitor was also positioned next to the machine, with no keyboard, only a mouse.

"Yeah, this is it." Julian said, stepping on the center platform. The girl stood at the door, looking a little unsure. "What's the hold-up? Come on! It ain't gonna kill ya." Julian gestured for her to come up to the platform. Reluctantly, she followed, looking at the machine with awestruck eyes.

"Technology has advanced beyond my own knowledge…" She said, staring down the computer and mouse.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's amazing, let's get this show on the road." He pushed past the girl and walked over to the monitor. There was only a single screen, with a drop-down bar. He clicked it, and observed the choices.

* * *

><p>Africa<p>

N. America (You are here)

S. America

Antarctica

Asia

Australia

Europe

* * *

><p>He clicked on Europe, and then a green button that asked to confirm his action. The blue light on the platform grew brighter, and brighter, until an instantaneous flash blinded them both. Although it was brief, he could feel every molecule in his body going from one end of the Earth to another in a matter of seconds. He casually walked off the platform, and this room appeared identical to the one in Death City.<p>

"P-Partner, did we just…" The girl began.

"Teleport? Yep. That's modern tech for ya. Next you can learn how to use a calculator!" He sneered.

"Calculator? It sounds very intriguing!" She responded back, unaware of the sarcasm behind the remark. "Oh um, also… I never learned your name earlier today, partner. I would love it if you would tell me!" She requested, hoping for an answer.

"Huh? Sorry. I was spacing out. Enough chit-chat, let's get going!" Julian ran through the door, the girl levitating close behind him. The academy in Europe seemed virtually indistinguishable from the one in Death City, had it not been for the students speaking another language, it would have probably been hard to tell the two academies apart.

"It's gonna be a long way to Athens." Julian noted offhandedly.

* * *

><p>In contrast to the mysterious, whimsical technology they used to get to Europe, the two used simpler technology to make their way to Athens. Specifically, by plane. It was a short flight, taking only two hours or so from Italy to Greece. Julian seized the opportunity to take a nice, long nap, until the girl shook him awake.<p>

"Partner! Awake from your slumber, please!" Julian awoke tiredly, looking grumpily at the girl. He groaned, picking himself up from the chair and stretching his idle muscles.

"...Alright, alright. I'm up. I could kill for some Greek yogurt or something." He remarked, ignoring the mission at hand.

The girl raised her pointer finger up slightly. "Although I enjoy the prospect of it, perhaps we should do that later after the miss-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Mission first, luxury later. As if that hasn't been crammed down my throat enough…" He complained. The girl's mouth opened, then shut, looking down somewhat sadly.

The departure into Athens was short, since the airport was right outside the city. It was still in the late afternoon, the sun slowly but surely waning in the sky. The city itself seemed very friendly and inviting-sea salt blew in from a breeze, and everyone was talking, on the streets, the sidewalks, the benches, the stores, _everywhere._ Julian smirked as he imagined all the things he could be doing. The girl followed him behind, looking somewhat overwhelmed.

The girl spoke up once more. "So, partner, now that we have a little more time, perhaps we can exchange our names to each other now, please?"

"Ssshh, I'm window shopping over here…" He dismissed her, gazing at the objects in the store, though none truly piqued his interest. She followed suit, wondering what could be of interest.

She pressed her face on the glass next to him. "These are fine windows indeed!" A bead of sweat trickled down Julian's face. _Space cadet strikes again._

Julian felt a low moan come from his midsection. "Damn_, _I'm hungry..." He glared at the girl briefly. "Pardon my French." He snarked. The girl seemed to take the phrase literally, tilting her head in the other direction, trying to make sense of the statement. "You look pretty high-strung. You could use a vacation. And do you want to know a _reaalll _good vacation spot?"

"W-Where?!" She leaned in closer to him, eager to listen.

"_ATHENS!" _He yelled, sending the girl tumbling backwards.

"But partner? Aren't we already in Athens right now?"

"Mmhmm."

"So you're saying..."

"Oh come on. Nobody's gonna mind if we take a little longer than expected."

"Well um…" She put her finger to her lips and glanced in the other direction, wondering if she should go along with her partner's decision. "Alright…" Without any sort of warning, Julian slung his arm around the girl unexpectedly. "Trust me on this one girlie, this is gonna be worth it." He said with a irresponsible grin painted on his face, not even trying to hide that he was slacking off on the mission at hand.

"R-really?" The girl looked at him with wide eyes and an open jaw. _Hook, Line, and Sinker._ Now, he didn't have to worry about being snitched on, hopefully.

"Now, let's go sightseeing." He had to bite his tongue just to stop himself from saying "Let _me_ go sightseeing.". He put his hands back in his pockets and strode across the streets of Athens, the sun shimmering in his face, with the girl not too far behind him.

"Now that we're properly acquainted, perhaps we could interact in a social manner? Oooh, maybe you can tell me about your preferred pursuits and hobbies..." The girl pressed her arms together against her robe in a v-shape, eagerly waiting for a response. He didn't seem to hear, however, still browsing the stores in quick glances. She let out a disappointed sigh and continued to follow behind Julian.

The two came to a stop at a building with a sign in Greek. Julian assumed it was a cafe, and stepped inside. A bell chimed, signifying their entrance. The man behind the counter gave a friendly wave, and said something in Greek. Julian waved back halfheartedly, looking at the menu.

"Go find a table, I'll catch up with ya in a sec." The girl nodded in confirmation and walked off, seating herself at a vacant booth by the window. She looked around at the people surrounding her. It seemed impossible that they were (almost) the same species. Her humble outfit contrasted so much with everyone else in the room. Not even her weapon partner was dressed similarly. _I'm sure everyone will respect me for who I am, right, partner? _She thought wistfully. She looked over at her partner with curiosity. He was shuffling his hand through his pocket, going through the arduous process of converting dollars to euros.

The girl stared out the window absent-mindedly, awaiting her partner's return. Her thoughts were broken up by a sudden interjection from Julian. "I'm back." Julian said, carrying a brown paper bag, that steamed with an aromatic scent. The girl's eyes perked up like the morning sunrise, unable to take her eyes off the bag. He dumped the bag's contents on the table rather messily, essentially turning their meal into a grab-fest.

"Heads up." Unexpectedly, Julian threw a muffin at the girl's face, lightly bouncing onto her lap. Julian sipped a bit of his mocha as he watched his partner study the pastry, poking it with her finger a few times.

"You're supposed to eat that, y'know." He said in a condescending tone. The girl looked up, and gave him a bashful smile.

"Oh! Yes, of course, I...knew that." She tugged at one of her ponytails, closing her eyes and smiling, her cheeks burning red. Julian chugged the rest of his mocha and stared out the window, acting as if he didn't know the girl at all. Thoroughly embarrassed, Julian grabbed the girl's hand and walked out of the cafe.

* * *

><p>In the short twenty minutes that they had been in the cafe, it had already passed from late afternoon to night. A crescent moon hung ominously in the sky. "Good! Now we can proceed with our mission, yes?" She eagerly suggested. The excited tone of her voice was enough to make Julian sick to his stomach. He leaned against the side of the cafe, biting his lip silently.<p>

There was no way out of it. This was it. _Time to face it, Julian! You're gonna die, and Space Cadet over there is coming with you! _He felt the color slowly sap away from his face, completely drained. "Shit...!" He ran. Away from his troubles, away from the public, just away. He heard the girl cry out for him, but he pretended not to hear it. He made a hasty turn into a back alley, hoping to get away from the odd girl for just a few minutes. He sheltered himself in there, sitting with his legs sprawled out with his back against the wall. _Just five minutes. Give me five minutes…I don't wanna do this..._He thought, on the verge of tears. He let out an exhausted sigh, his fingers wracking his temples.

However, it seemed Julian wasn't alone in the back alley. A door against the alley's right wall he hadn't seen earlier when he ran in began to shake. "H-hey! Show yourself, ya coward!" He cried, trembling. It felt like an eternity when the door opened with a groan. A shadowed figure walked out the door. He had a lean shape, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. The only thing that had a shred of light on him was a short, pointed dagger. _Oh… Oh my god….It's him! The Dreadful Dodger!_ Julian realized, as he stayed perfectly motionless. The shadowed figure stopped for a moment, and sniffed the air. The figure's skinny legs turned backwards to face Julian. A psychotic smirk trailed all over his face as he menacingly walked over to his potential prey.

* * *

><p>"<em>Paaaaaaartnerrrr? Where are you?" <em>Cassiel cried, concerned for her weapon's safety. She waved, and waved, and waved, but to no avail, he was nowhere to be seen.

Her back thrusted against a street lamp, as her head throbbed with a pulsating pain. A shining sensation overcame her sense of sight as her breath was cut short. The whole world before her faded to darkness without warning. Not even the moon itself could be seen among this sudden blackness. _This isn't normal… This isn't what happens to humans, is it?_ She thought. Her head whipped towards a voice she had been looking for for a while now.

"Oh my god… Oh my god! I'm gonna die!" She turned around towards the source of the voice. Finally, something other than darkness! Two people illuminated with a light blue aura stood out through the dull darkness. One of the humans was advancing on the other with a knife, pinning him into a corner. Cassiel immediately recognized the second figure. It was her weapon. _Found him! _She thought. The strange vision faded as quickly as it came, and she hurried in his direction.

* * *

><p>"G-Get back! I'll beat the l-living shit out of you!" Julian stuttered, his back bumping back against the alley's wall. His heart was pumping fiercely as the potential kishin walked towards him with a limping gait. His features were clearer now that he was in close range. His face hid behind a dark grey masquerade mask, and he wore a court jester's clothing, complete with a hat with a little silver bell at the end...Not that that it made him any less terrifying. <em>Clowns are supposed to be funny, jackass! <em>He thought, quaking against the wall.

"Partner!" A familiar voice cried. Julian peeked around the killer and looked at the very end of the alley. _Oh thank god…_ It was his partner, here to save the day, and more importantly, his life.

"Great, you're here! Can ya lend me a hand, friend?" He said, in the same faux-friendly fashion as earlier that day.

"Of course!" She replied. "Although…" She looked down at the ground with an embarrassed smile.

"Although?" Julian asked, twitching an eyebrow.

"If it's alright, partner…." She began. "I need something of you beforehand!"

"What?!" Julian felt a vein pop near his forehead. "He's not getting any slower here!" Julian yelled, his partner getting gradually harder to see due to his pursuer.

"Yes, yes, I know. It will require very little of your time, I promise!" She pleaded.

"Alright! I'll do anything, just _help!" _He yelled desperately.

"Tell me your name." She requested.

"W-What?!"

"Just do it, please!"

"Okay, okay! My name is Julian! Julian Marcello Leone!" He shrieked from the top of his lungs.

"Oh! My name is Cassiel. Just Cassiel." There was a brief pause, before Cassiel remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

"Help?!" He reminded her, as the Dreadful Dodger raised his knife.

"Right! Engage your weapon mode!" Cassiel commanded, as she pointed a finger at her opposer.

"Y-Yeah, sure, whatever!" Just as the Dodger swiped at Julian's flesh, Julian shrunk down into his weapon form, a plasma whip. Cassiel ran over and grabbed the whip from between the potential kishin's legs.

"I must admire the craftsmanship on your weapon form, Julian…." In his current state, the whip was only a black handle with Lord Death's skull symbol on it. "But now is not the time for admiration!"

"He's coming our way!" Julian shouted, as the kishin barreled towards them. Cassiel pressed her thumb down on the skull-shaped button on the whip, and a dark-blue wavy beam extended from it.

"So this is what my weapon form looks like, huh? Not bad." Julian said, smirking and rubbing his chin.

"Hoooohohohohooho!" The kishin egg cackled like a madman, leaping at the meister with a smile that hungered for blood. Just as the knife was about to sink in, she secured it with the whip, struggling against it.

"Cease at once!" Cassiel pulled upward on the whip, causing the knife to flip into the air, grazing the killer's face, and severing the mask in half.

"N-Ngnnoh! Look away! Away!" The Dreadful Dodger hissed, as he covered his face with one hand, searching for the remains of his mask on the other.

"Please, stop this charade." With a flick of the wrist, she managed to wrap the whip around her attacker's neck. He cried out with a choking sound, his eyes going red from the pressure.

"And, three, two, one…" Julian counted. Snapping his fingers, the electric "rope" of the whip discharged, letting out a brief, yet intense shock, frying the Dreadful Dodger's head instantly. The body of the killer disintegrated, leaving only the soul behind. Julian turned from weapon to human, walking over to the disembodied soul.

"Can't believe I gotta eat this crap..." He complained, as he secured the top of the soul with his fingertips. He lowered into his mouth, and gulped it down as quickly as humanly possible.

"Auwgh, I feel _sick_." He shuddered as it progressed down into his stomach. Unexpectedly, he found himself captive in a tight bear-hug once more.

"We have done it, Julian Leone! Our very first mission! I feel invigorated once again! The livelihood of living!" She squealed with joy.

"Personal. Space." Julian said, unamused. The girl took a few steps back, and lightly knocked her head with her fist.

"My apologies, partner. Oh, and one thing…"

"Yeah?" Julian turned around as he was walking out the alley.

"Thank you for taking me out for the meal. It was greatly appreciated." She held her arms behind her back, avoiding Julian's eye contact.

"Yeah, whatever..." Julian brushed it off, but his ears burned red.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Cass. There's somethin' I wanna ask you." He asked later in the night, picking at some Greek yogurt with a spoon.<p>

"What troubles you, Julian?" She looked at him, still polishing off an ice cream cone.

"How'd ya find me? And don't say you followed the screams..."

"Oh! Yes, that...I don't know." Cassiel shrugged.

"What's that supposed t'mean?" Julian said, staring suspiciously at Cassiel.

"I just...Wanted to find you. And then-then my vision was struck by this light, and the only thing I saw was you and our target." She explained vividly as possible.

"So I guess that's how that whole flying business works too?"

"I believe it's...Psychic, or something!" She theorized.

Julian let out a cold tuft of air that was resting in his cheeks. "Cass, if you can keep me at the DWMA, I'll believe in any magic you throw at me."

**AN: Welp, what did you guys think? As always, criticism, comments, questions, anything else are always welcome.**


	10. Burning within! Fight or flight?

"Oi, oi."

The voice is bold and without hesitation, and its clear the person behind it carries herself in a ballsy manner, even from just two words. She's tapping her feet one moment, and speaking again the next. "...Waste both our time, why don'tcha. Victoria Brandt, at your service." There's a surprisingly levity in her tone, speaking her own name with an understated yet notable pride behind it.

"This is _Unsound Souls. _Hah, do I even have to explain? You've already been through this shtick five times." An earnest chuckle rumbles through the receiver. "Thanks for sticking around for me, I guess. Enjoy your read or some shit like that."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Professor. You...You sure you're alright with this?" In the shadows of twilight, two silhouetted figures conversed privately inside the desolate Patchwork Lab. One of them just so happened to be the good doctor himself, Professor Stein.<p>

"Victoria. You don't have to address me as your superior anymore. Things have changed." Stein insisted, puckering his lips slightly as he dabbed the cigarette in his mouth.

"I think I liked you better when you were a teacher and not a 'friend', Stein. Seriously, it's creepy as hell. Why are we doing this again?" Although she enjoyed Stein's company, she wasn't one for pointless chit-chat. Victoria heaved as she lugged the thick rope around for the third time, tying it in one large knot.

"Like I said earlier, this is entirely necessary." With his typical brand of stoic confidence, he answered without pause or hesitation. Her head rocked back in irritation, complying with the scheme as best she could.

"You keep saying that. What could be so necessary to do something like..._t__his?_" She questioned, growing increasingly distrustful of her superior.

"It's times like these when students grow too accustomed to the peace that surrounds us. We're going to pick the cream of the crop, the best of the best. And we're going to promote those students to EAT status." Stein explained, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, whatever. But are we just gonna do it through brute force?" Victoria tried to make sense of it all, eyeing the mad doctor with a feeling of trusting caution she had grown accustomed to in her years under his teaching.

Stein shook his head slowly, having thought over the plans long enough to explain it smoothly. "No. We're going to see which pairs have the strongest bonds."

"Victoria, get ready to make a few phone calls. Marie and Spirit probably want in on this too."

"You know Stein...I'm startin' to warm up to this plan of yours..." The eighteen year-old cracked a devious grin as she snagged the household phone from the wall, preparing to make a select few phone calls to the academy.

* * *

><p>The sun burned with a passion that not even the coming fall weather could diminish. It was October now and most students had adjusted to the daily grind of their duties. The gap between the weak and strong-willed soon became obvious, as freshmen came flocking in droves to passing trains leading out of the Death City. Yet to those who remained, in these peaceful times, it was a thriving period, to the point where hunting Kishin eggs had become a casual, if bloody, sport.<p>

The morning bell rang, and students barged through the doors in waves. Dart and Alice got the short end of the stick, stuck in the very very back of the mob of students. After an agonizing ten minutes, they set foot in the building.

"We're ten minutes late for our first period class. That's better than usual." Alice noted, as much as she hated to admit it, she had grown used to the disappointment.

The bush-headed meister shrugged, putting on an optimistic front. "You know what they say, you win some, you lose some."

"Our losing streak's been going for well over a month." Alice huffed and crossed her arms.

He dismissed her with a wave of the hand. "Oh, hush." He strode into the classroom, and surprisingly found it to be all but empty, save for Sid, standing in the classroom's center.

"NOT students are to report to the gym. Sounds like it's important." His head turned off to the side, vague in his wording. It was obvious he was feigning intelligence about something, but what?

"Right away, Mr. Barett!" Dart gave a quick salute as a sign of respect to his mentor. Although Sid was undead now, his high regard for the man had not died in the slightest. Alice followed up with a brief curtsey, not wanting to look impolite. They made a u-turn out of the room, exiting out the second door.

Alice kept an eye on Dart, the way his body stood tall and rigid around Barett, in contrast to his usual lax movements. "You can relax, you know. I'm fairly sure he isn't out for flesh."

He looked downright offended at the statement, blinking in mortification at her. The weapon cleared her throat, regarding him a bit more gently. "Don't be dim, it was a joke."

"Yep. Hilarious." His reply was brief, forcing a stiff laugh. It was the first time Alice felt a shred of something resembling bitterness coming from her partner. It didn't _wound _her, oh no, she was much too rigid for that. It would take more than a curt remark from a country bumpkin to curb her attitude. Why then, did she feel a burning in her chest? "Oh, would you look at that! Gym door's open!" Dart slipped into the gym, finding a cozy spot on the mostly-unoccupied east wall. He leaned against the wall, staring towards the gym's center with interest. Alice grunted, looking forward bemusedly.

"_Ahem!"_ A feminine voice spoke over the mic in the center of the room. Dart looked above the mass of people to see Miss Mjolnir, or Miss Marie, as she preferred to be called. The gym remained talkative.

"_Pay attention, you little urchins! This is serious!_" Marie shrieked, flailing her arms. An immediate silence was cast upon the gym. "Thank you all for cooperating." She said with a bow, back to her polite demeanor. "Azusa, if you please?" She looked over at her cohort, Ms. Yumi. With a disapproving sigh. Azusa pressed a button on what looked like a remote-control of some kind. A small portion of the ceiling opened up, revealing a four-sided TV monitor lowered down midway to the floor. Initially, the screens were fogged with static, until the picture became clear enough to look at.

"Hey, isn't that…" Dart tilted his head, biting his tongue. The name had escaped his mind.

"Professor Stein?" Alice blinked. The doctor wasn't one for public appearances, from what she had known of him.

The camera turned shakily to focus on the professor himself, starting to show his age as the video feed was closed in on his face. "Hello, students. I'm Professor Stein, in case you haven't met me already." The lifeless voice droned, echoing through the gym harshly.

"As you can see_—_hold on, move the camera back a little_—_as you can see, I'm currently being held hostage right now." The camera person took a few steps back, and the camera panned to Professor Stein, tied to a chair, presumably against his own will.

"Hey, NOT Students! Get your asses in gear!" The camera flipped around to someone wearing a ski mask. "Yeah, I kidnapped the doc. Whaddya gonna do, call the cops?!" The kidnapper's voice reeked of smug, as if she could just _tell _that the students were quivering in fear, even if the evidence pointed to the contrary.

"I'll give you all by the end of tomorrow! This is mandatory! If one of you isn't man enough to take me on and win, then the doc gets it!" She whipped out a pistol from her pocket and fired three ear-piercing shots in the air. "Meet me at the Patchwork Lab, _if you dare._" They said, hamming it up as much as humanly possible. The monitors cut to static all at once, leaving the room with a definite unease sure to last with all those present.

"Good luck, you guys! We'll be rooting for you!" Marie quickly waved around a flag with Lord Death's signature skull symbol stitched on it, making a nonchalant exit into the 'Staff Only' room. Then, something yanked Dart's t-shirt and grabbed him aside.

"Dart! We have to get Stein_—_I mean the Professor back!" Alice's eyes were bulging, giving her meister a minor shock. Dart took a moment to absorb it all in as he gulped. "You're staring at me like an idiot. Why are you staring at me like an idiot?" Her grip tightened on his shoulders, trying to get a hold on him, physically and mentally.

"If y'don't mind me asking...Why are you doing this?" Alice's nails loosened up a bit on his jacket as she calmed down. She composed herself, repeating "okay" exasperatedly until she was a good two feet away from him. "About Professor Stein...I owe him a favor."

"Whaddya mean? Y'know it's his _job_ to teach students, right?" He looked at her slightly condescendingly, although still somewhat confused himself.

"No, you dunce! Not just that!" Her eyes bulged, before narrowing to a state of mild irritation. "Let's just say I wouldn't be where I am now without Professor Stein's aid. Is that sufficient?"

Dart nodded understandingly. "Sufficient as sufficient can be."

* * *

><p>The following day, an overcast of wispy grey clouds blanketed the skies the following day, limiting the sun's rays to all but a few patches of light, one in particular shining over the Patchwork Lab. Dart and Alice remained perched at the edge of a nearby graveyard, readying their attack as they passed a pair of binoculars between themselves.<p>

"This is the perfect time to strike. The kidnapper must be tired out from taking down so many students." Alice kept her eyes on the prize, observing as the kidnapper paced around nonchalantly.

"How much did you bring?" He asked, looking to the blonde curiously.

"Come again?"

"Y'know, money. Don't we gotta pay the ransom?" Dart's hand was already shuffling around in his pocket. Alice snatched his wrist, preventing him for reaching for any.

"Don't you understand, Dart?" Her teeth grit, trying to get the message through his thick skull. "We're _killers!_ We've been doing this since day one!"

Dart raised an eyebrow, staring with a look of greater clarity. "Oh." With that, he spun on his heel and walked away. Alice gave chase, trying and failing to drag him back by the arm.

His eyes met hers, halting her with a stubborn glare. "Alice, I'm sorry and all, but ya can't expect me to do this."

"You've killed Kishin eggs before, I don't see how this is any_—"_

His expression hardened, shutting Alice up in an instant. "_I ain't killing a human._" He shook himself off, pacing a bit faster towards the DWMA.

"Dart..." Alice groaned, thinking quickly of a way to stop him from leaving outright. "Wait!" She shouted desperately, grabbing his attention. The meister turned halfway around, waiting for her response. "Think about it this way, Dart; if you leave here, you may not have to take a life, but can you go on knowing that someone could die because you weren't there?" She watched as his lips pressed together, his eyes obscured by his strewn black hair.

Dart sighed. She could hear his feet shuffle around, until he was reluctantly facing her. "Aw, hell." He trotted past a satisfied Alice, smugly grinning at her success. "Get movin'."

* * *

><p>"Okay, partner! The professor will surely reward us with his gratitude if we accomplish this!" Cassiel hovered about, unable to maintain stillness as she imagined what success would bring.<p>

"If we save his lazy ass, I want a lot more than gratitude." Julian muttered.

"Perhaps a thank-you card?" She suggested, still maintaining that air of innocence that bothered him so.

"Yeah. Sure." Julian rolled his eyes as he leaned against a towering gravestone. "The kidnapper said it was mandatory _to go_, she never said anything about having to fight." He reclined further, yawning as the lack of motivation began to take hold of him.

"Ah! Oh, partner! There's people coming!" Cassiel grabbed Julian's shoulder and pointed towards two people; a meister and a weapon. The meister ran along the fence of the graveyard, jumped off, and began sprinting towards the lab at breakneck speeds.

"Are they pursuing the reward too?" Cassiel wondered out loud.

"Tch! Like hell!" Feeling a shift in his mood, Julian transformed into his plasma whip form, landing in Cassiel's capable hands.

"Very well then! We shall engage in pursuit of the reward, but first and foremost, our obstacle!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, do you hear someone yelling?" Dart asked, as the lab got closer and closer in reach.<p>

"Pay no mind to it." Alice was wholly preoccupied with the mission at hand, disregarding anything not concerning it.

"_You!_" For a smidgen of a second, saliva flew from Dart's mouth as a kick to the back of the head connected. Then he tumbled. Spitting out tufts of stale grass, he kicked back up, looking to the identity of his attacker.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Spurred by anger, he scowled, wincing at the nasty bump the kick had left. Meeting the attacker's eyes, he saw that she had an irritatingly smarmy grin that stretched from one corner of her face to the other, appearing jubilant at her successful sneak attack. Armed with a plasma whip, she looked about Dart's age, perhaps a year his junior, with wide eyes and a petite physique. "H-Hey, now..." It was only a second late that he realized, however, that the student wasn't on solid ground, defying the laws of physics themselves while her long pink hair and ancestral blue robes flowed freely in her space of levitation.

"My word..." Even Alice had to take pause at the girl's strangeness, rendered mostly speechless.

The supernatural girl's smile disappeared, clearing her throat before booming "Do not be alarmed, fellow students! We request that you step down, and let us collect the reward for Professor Stein's kidnapping!"

"Yeah, 'request'." The plasma whip piped up, a voice much less innocent-sounding than his meister. "It's fancy talk for '_it's ours._'"

Dart heard Alice scoff from inside her weapon form, and immediately braced himself for the worst. "Glory seekers, hm? If you'll excuse us, some of us actually have noble intentions in mind here." She said, with a false chime to her tone.

"Aw, Alice..." He groaned, getting red in the face as the situation continued to grow worse.

"_GLORY SEEKERS?!_" They shouted in unison, clearly outraged. "Let's waste 'em, Cass, and make it snappy." Her weapon was raring to go, and his meister seemed to be of one with him. She lashed suddenly, transitioning from slow and graceful movements to fast and jolty. Tiny sparks traveled across the dirt, emitted in the plasma whip's wake.

Dart primed his sword and lowered his head. "Dang it all..." Slowly, he begun circling around her, keeping the blade pointed at her like a viper with its fangs bared. She mirrored him, gritting her teeth in an effort to look intimidating. For seconds, neither of them struck, staring each other down like gunmen in a western movie. The girl struck first, lunging forward and nearly catching Dart with a crack to the face had he not arched his back in time. Improvising, he let himself fall, jumping right back up on his hands to return the favor from earlier, landing a two-legged kick to her stomach. She reeled back and wheezed, giving him all the opportunity necessary to move in further. He dashed forward and drove the side of his foot in the grass, sending dirt flying at her face. The girl yelped, trying to scrub out the dirt from her eyes with one hand while Dart moved in for the knockout with a clenched fist.

But Dart's fist didn't connect. No, his whole arm was disabled! A stinging hold was wrapped around his wrist, tied up by the plasma whip. "A-ha! Checkmate for us!" She was leering triumphantly, while Dart was still trying to put two and two together. "You may have bested me thus far, but round two goes to Cassiel!" He tried to kick away, but she had already moved out of his reach, keeping the whip tied around his arm. "NOW!" The plasma whip left him all at once, the force of which spun him around and 'round. With every passing rotation, he could catch a glimpse of her holding the plasma whip back, ready to strike at any moment. "One-thousand lashes!" Just then, a searing pain across his back had caused Dart to yelp. Then his arm. Then his face, and soon enough, he felt his entire body crying out as no spot became safe from a whipping.

Dart's queasy stomach growled in such a way that he almost assumed he was harboring an angry opossum in his jacket when he heard it. He raised an arm to shield his face while the other clutched Alice's sword form, at the girl's mercy. "Any pointers, Alice?"

She cupped her hand over her mouth, looking quite queasy. "Just...Just stop spinning..." She said, offering the most specific and helpful advice to the situation at hand.

_Still, I gotta do somethin'...! _He thought, flinching with every strike. "U-Uh!" Everything came to a halt at once; the lashings, the spinning, and his breathing. He clamored for his neck, feeling the whip's tightness around it. His vision was failing him already. "Alice, a little help?!" He choked out. In the gleam of the blade, he could make out her dazed face, still reeling from the sudden stop. In a fit of desperation, he grabbed the whip's electric stream, dragging the student closer to him. She refused to let up, pulling away in the opposite direction. "AAHHHH!" Before he could fall unconscious, he grabbed the whip tighter, despite how much it burned at the touch. With his weakening eyes, he saw a fantastic golden light discharge through the whole whip, flooding into the meister as well. _Is that... _Dart had recognized that spiritual energy before, if only once. "Soul Force?" The girl fell back, her eyes wide as her breath came in short spurts.

The plasma whip assumed his human form, revealing a skinny boy about Dart's height with slicked blonde hair and distrusting ruby-colored eyes. He seemed equally as tired as his meister, laying his arm on her shoulder for support. Dart tentatively gave them a thumbs-up as a truce, in hopes that they would return it or at the very least acknowledge it. The meister looked hopefully to her weapon, giving her a shrug in response. They moved towards each other, extending their arms for a handshake in a mutual gesture of peace.

* * *

><p>In all but a minute, the four of them were sitting beside a bush, having achieved an anxious calm before the confrontation with the kidnappers. After growing acquainted with each other, learning names and whatnot, there wasn't much talk. Julian, the blonde weapon, looked especially nervous, repeatedly peeking over the bush to the laboratory. "H-Hey..." He swallowed a lump in his throat, facing the group with a dumbfounded grin. "There's no other students here!" Dart, Alice, and Cassiel froze, going wide-eyed before quickly creeping over to Julian's position.<p>

"I'll be damned...!" Dart shook his head in disbelief, peering at the front lawn.

"I know, right?! Since nobody else bothered to show up, guess that means the reward's all ours!" Julian's grin was stupidly gleeful, shattering his 'tough' disposition. He looked on the verge of hopping over the bush and charging right in, had it not been for his better judgement.

"Tch! Is it always 'Reward this! Reward that!' for you?" Alice lashed with a sharp tongue, causing all eyes to dawn on her.

"Pardon, but...what are _your _motivations for this mission, Alice?" Suddenly, the whole group was awaiting an answer from her, putting a sweat on the previously cool-headed weapon.

Alice smiled as naturally as she could and flipped her hair, halfway meeting their gaze. "_Excellent _question, Cassiel. In fact, why don't we _all_ share our reasons for coming here, hm? Let's start with you, Julian." She gestured, regaining a shred of her previous calm.

He glared daggers at Alice, but continued nonetheless. "I want money. Cash." He paused, before continuing. "...And something about saving lives in there too."

Cassiel rose her hand energetically, wilfully volunteering to go next. "If I may!" The three of them turned their attention to her, and thus she began. "I wish to advance my career as a meister, thereby gaining more status, thereby making more friends!" As she recited her fantasy aloud, Dart and Alice glanced at each other, but said nothing, not wanting to curb her joy. A sense of self-awareness must have kicked in, as she quickly hushed herself with a bashful smile. "Ah, Alice?"

"R-Right." She seemed more equipped to answer the question this time around, clearing her throat with only minor hesitation. "I was under Professor Stein's tutelage for quite some time prior to my formal enrolment, and it would be an insult to my family line if I were to do something as dishonorable as abandoning him." She finished, taking a quick breath. "Satisfied?" Looking Julian directly in the eye, she smirked. He rolled his eyes, putting on a disinterested front.

"That leaves you, Dart." Cassiel said.

The meister jolted lightly, putting his brain into 'think' mode after a long bout of spacing out. "Well now, uh..." His head tilted, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "It'd be pretty bad, if, um, somebody died here." Alice, Cassiel, and Julian all went silent. He shrugged, knowing it was the best he muster.

"With that settled..." Alice scanned the group. "Let's save ourselves a professor."

* * *

><p>The 'kidnapper' looked down at the stone tiling on the ground, then to Stein, then to the graveyard. Then to the ground, then to Stein again. She heaved a painfully obvious sigh, begging for someone to inquire.<p>

"What is it, Victoria?" Stein had begun to regret allowing his arms to be tied, desperately in need of a lighter and a pack if he was going to make it through the rest of the day.

"Nobody's. _Here._" She was pacing in circles, constantly checking for potential attackers. "There's gotta be SOME students who fell for this, right?!"

Stein's eyes drifted thoughtfully to the ground for a moment, before giving her a definitive answer. "Doubtful." He said, with incoherent angry noises coming from Victoria shortly thereafter. She fired a few pistol shots in the air again, hoping to attract _some _attention.

"This was a dumb plan." She groaned, on the verge of going inside the lab to watch TV.

"Remind me again, why did you join?" Stein snarked back, spinning around in the swivel chair to face her.

"Uh_—" _She hesitated. "I_—" _Her eyes narrowed, having to admit to herself that part of her thought it was a good idea in the first place. "You shut your god-damn mouth, that's why." The doctor chuckled, nearly tipping over in his swivel chair. "I'm giving you an hour, professor. _ONE HOUR._"

"_HEY!_" Two voices rang out from behind, both unfamiliar to her. Victoria whipped around, facing the lab. On the roof, four students, two meisters, two weapons, stood, looking down at her threateningly.

* * *

><p><em>This is it. <em>Dart stood with his blade poised, side-by-side with Cassiel. They jumped off the roof in sync, having been doing 'practice confrontations' for the past twenty minutes before storming to the Patchwork Laboratory. He stuck the landing perfectly, maintaining a level stare with the kidnapper. Cassiel looked leagues more confident than he did, but nevertheless still attempted to hide the anxiety from his face. "I think y'know what we're here for. A-And just who d'ya think you are? You knew this was gonna happen." He re-clenched the sword's hilt, loosening and tightening his grip.

The kidnapper looked like they didn't know how to react to the students' presence, but quickly adjusted, smiling cockily in the gaps of that jet-black ski mask. "Well then!" The voice was feminine, but very deep, leaving no doubt in Dart's mind that the kidnapper was a woman. Despite having two armed meisters trained on her, she was completely nonchalant, not even guarding herself, let alone aiming her pistol. "Since you asked nicely!" Instead, she grabbed at the fabric of her mask, yanking it off in a dramatic display. Her facial features were rather striking, with slightly spiked, reddish hair that didn't go an an inch beyond her neck, wide and audacious brown eyes, and full lips that only served to emphasize that wide smirk of hers. Her stature was towering as well, just a few inches short of Stein's height, and with broad muscles to match. However intimidating, she still looked quite young, at the very least college-age. She wore a sports-like orange jacket and shirt, as well as a pair of blue shorts. And on her right hand, a scarlet glove was secured, made of hard material that suggested to Dart that it could be something more.

"Meet my protégé...Victoria Brandt."

"_P__rotégé?!_" Dart, Alice, Cassiel, and Julian reeled back in shock at the revelation.

"Impossible! Is this ritual of students kidnapping teachers normal for humanity?" Cassiel looked at her companions blankly, which they found themselves returning.

"This is just absurd...!" Alice barely mouthed.

Victoria lowered her head and chuckled a bit like she had just been chewed out for a prank. "Yeah, that's me, in the flesh. Victoria Brandt, three-star meister!" She folded open the right side of her jacket, revealing three star-shaped badges stitched on, verifying her status.

"From freshmen to senior year, I trained her, perhaps a little too well. And now, she's kidnapped me. How terrible." Stein said, trying to balance the frame of his glasses on his nose as he spoke.

Julian gulped the moment he saw it. "...How much do you guys have on you in-cash?"

"'Bout ten dollars, but that doesn't matter now!" Dart swung his sword forcefully, finding real confidence amidst the false. "Victoria Brandt, if you don't back down now... Well, it ain't gonna be good." His hands fidgeted, reluctant to point the weapon at her neck or chest.

"Oi, you're shaking, short stuff." Even Victoria noticed his obvious anxiety, eliciting a sharp glance from Alice.

"Don't be looking like that. I'm ready." A severe redness in the face overtook Dart, agitating him enough to get him into proper shape.

"Are you?!" Victoria charged at them without warning, forcing Cassiel to retreat and putting Dart on the defensive. He blocked, but even that wasn't enough to halt a shoulder bash from her. He skidded back, digging his heel into the ground to keep from flying back completely. She ran forward again, but this time, Dart was adequately prepared. Once Victoria was in range, he countered with a swift kick to her head, halting his momentum abruptly. As expected from a three-star, she parried effortlessly, blocking with the mass of her forearm. "You're quick, short stuff, I'll give you that." In their struggle, Dart noticed a window in her defense: her midsection. He blinked, almost smiling as he went in with the blade.

"HM!" Before he could land the hit, the last thing he saw was her crimson hair as he took a vicious headbutt to the face. He staggered back, dazzled by the sheer pain. His back thumped against the lab's wall, with his own cold blood trickling down from his forehead. In his blurring vision, he could see her drawing close, striding confidently with a menacing smile.

"W-We should stage a retreat, just for now... She's going to..." Alice became scatterbrained trying to form a strategy around Victoria's pure strength, not that Dart could fault her.

"I a-ain't done just yet." Dart pushed himself upward, using the wall to support him as he gripped the sword tighter for another round.

"Good, now that's what I wanna he_—__ack!_" Just as Victoria was about to take another step, Julian's plasma whip had been seized around her neck.

"I praise your valiant efforts, Dart D. Cay! But please, allow us to finish it!" Cassiel shouted, bringing a weak smile to Dart's face.

"You think this is enough to hold _ME?!_" She yanked on the whip, bringing the airborne girl into her range.

"NOW!" Cassiel's eyes widened, and the whip's blue stream flared, sending a shocking pulse through what looked to be Victoria's entire body. Her agonized screams filled their ears, reverberating until the whip ran out of charge. Julian returned to his human form, taking a breath as he turned his back on the meister-turned-criminal.

Dart stared at Victoria's body, black and charred. Her face was frozen in an expression of utter pain, her jaw agape and her pupils upward, leaving only the whites of her eyes. He looked away, shaking the lingering feelings of remorse. _No... It had to happen, right? _Victoria was threatening Stein with death; if someone hadn't stepped in, then what would that make him?

Julian walked up to her still-standing corpse and almost checked her pulse, pulling away after lightly burning his fingers. "Yep. That's a bona-fide cadaver right there." He cocked his head to Stein, keeping his chin rather high. "She's dead, you got a reward for us or what?"

"For starters, you _could _untie my wrists." Stein said, not particularly overjoyed at his freedom nor their apparent success.

"Hey, Dart, sounds like a you-job." Julian grabbed the meister's attention, who nodded and went on without a second thought. Alice reverted to her human form as well, standing off to the side.

Dart didn't even ask before he began untying the rope, working through the thick knots with a precision he hadn't really known in himself before. "Rest easy there, professor. A real swell guy taught me how to do these things when I was little." He sucked in a breath, undoing the work that Victoria had started.

"You're Alice's partner, aren't you?" He asked, without prompt.

The young meister kept his eyes on the ropes. "S'pose so. Why do you ask?"

Stein turned his head, halfway looking at Dart. "From what I've heard, the Robinson bloodline is very proud." Dart nearly snorted, confining it to a silent chuckle.

"Well, it's not _entirely_ untrue..." The meister smiled to himself in exasperation, feeling somewhat guilty for doing so.

"You aren't of a particularly strong fortitude, Dart, mentally or physically. Not that I'm implying anything negative by that, of course, but why _do _you think she chose you?" Dart froze, his fingers still seized on the nylon as the question rattled him.

"...Good question!" He quickly went back to work, dropping the conversation immediately.

Stein shook his head slowly. "Don't think too much of it. At the very least, she sees something in you worth keeping around. Now do that thing with your cheekbones where the corner of lips point upward."

"Smile?"

"Yes, that." Another pause. "Even so, Dart. Do you believe yourself to be capable of killing?"

"Sure." Dart's tone was flat, lacking enthusiasm all around. "Kishin eggs ain't the same flesh and blood as us. Just monsters, nothin' more, nothin' less."

"I mean a human." The coldness in the professor's voice drained the color from his face. "I noticed your hesitance during your fight with Victoria. You're half-assing your movements. You break into a sweat when it comes time to attack. Being the cause of that spilled blood_—_it terrifies you. Though, I won't lie, I've always been a fan of the underdog pacifist narrative. Besides, even if you could muster the resolve to kill her, I doubt you'd be able to." He smiled cheerfully, dissonant to the situation at hand.

"_Julian!_" Cassiel's shrill cry brought Dart to his reflexes, whipping behind to find the source of the commotion. Julian's breaths came out in sputtering gasps, kicking and flailing as a large hand eclipsed over his neck, strangling him.

"Victoria...!" Dart gaped, rendered slack-jawed by her survival.

"Speak of the devil..." Stein turned his back to the four, staring disinterestedly off into the horizon in his swivel chair, bound by a nearly-untied rope.

Victoria shook the soot off of her, looking no worse for wear than before. "I won't lie, Cinderella. You and your weapon partner here _really _did a number on me. Well, not really, but I'm a sucker for the effort." Her strangling hold of Julian wasn't letting up, and Cassiel could do nothing but gaze on in horror.

"T-That mean you aren't going to kill us?" Julian's eyes bulged, able to muster one sentence before gasping for air once more.

The three-star meister tilted her head pensively for a moment, considering the question. "...No." Julian choked out a scream. She dropped his neck, letting him crumple before moving in. Her fist flickered with a supernatural scarlet light, catching the weapon with a shattering uppercut to the chin. He flew, soaring high enough to reach the top window of the laboratory before the forces of gravity began to act on him.

"_GAH!_" For a moment, Julian's body looked like it was on fire, flinching in midair as if an unseen force had struck him a second time. He crashed against the cement ground face-first, completely and utterly battered after a single blow.

_She applied her wavelength at the last moment for a delayed effect...No doubt she's Stein's student. _Alice thought.

Victoria turned away without batting an eye. "Soul Force; Relentless Echo."

"_JULIAN!_" The remaining three stared in horror at his body, but only Cassiel dared to move close to it.

Her small hands grabbed a hold of his shoulders, turning him over to look at his bloodied face. "Partner! Partner, you must awaken! T-The fight has only just begun! Julian, please...!" There was no response. His scleroses had whitened, and his jaw hung open in mute horror. Cassiel gasped. Dart could only look on in grim pity, certain that this was the naive girl's first brush with death.

Alice shot a glare at Dart, her green eyes frenzied and wild. "Dart, we have to leave, _now!_" She didn't give Cassiel and Julian so much as a second glance, ready to ditch at a moment's notice.

An anger rose in the meister's chest, coming out like soup toppling out of a fiery kettle. "Aw, _REALLY_? After all that about savin' the professor, you're gonna turn tail NOW?!" The weapon's eyebrows slanted upward through her urgency, showing a very obvious weakness towards his accusation.

"This situation's changed, Dart! If we stay here, we've signed our wills!" Her voice shook, unknowingly having turned her left arm into a blade whilst shouting. "Cassiel isn't going to be budging any time soon. We... We can't win." Her tone was resigned, meeting the ground with a fierce, misty-eyed stare. "Damn it all... H-Hey!" Before she even realized it, her meister was already dashing at Victoria without her.

"_HM! HM! HM! HM!_" Once he came to a skidding halt, he immediately attacked, assaulting her with a forceful series of kicks aimed at her stomach, legs, and head. She blocked each one consecutively, with only the smallest bead of sweat dripping down her face.

"Damn, short stuff's _pissed_..." Despite his much smaller stature, Victoria had to acknowledged the strength and speed behind his blows, unable to let up her guard for even a moment's notice. On the next high kick he threw out, she grabbed hold of his leg, bringing him to a dead halt.

"Soul Force!" Her fist glowed a dangerous red, opting Dart to get out of there. He twisted his leg away and collapsed to the ground, dodging a punch by the skin of his teeth. He rolled back, putting a safe distance between him and Victoria. Next to him, Dart noticed, a sword was planted in the ground, and one he had grown quite familiar with.

"You never prefer the easy way, do you?" Alice remarked, bringing a grim grin to Dart's face. He drew the sword, facing Victoria with a fixed gaze. She looked amused at their bold little stand, waving her hands in mock-surprise.

"Oh, don't scowl too much. Keep it up and I'll die of fright!" She taunted, staying in her position. She was waiting for them to attack, not the other way around. If Dart was to attack, it would have to be without flaw, otherwise Victoria would surely capitalize on it.

"Let's go." Alice said, her voice as mild as ever. Her meister nodded, breaking into a dash. He zig-zagged throughout his straight path, trying to keep Victoria guessing while he moved in. "Keep a distance between her! The worst she can do at our range is grab my sword form!" Her words kept Dart's mind sharp, bringing him back just as he was on the verge of panic. He toed back, slashing at her side from about as long as a distance he could manage. To his shock, the sword didn't dig in, but _bounced off, _repelled before he could even put a dent in her. "What?!" Dart could almost hear the sound of her pride shattering in two, shortly before eating a punch to the gut that deprived him of all breath. He wheezed, clutching his stomach, scrunched inward from the punch alone.

"What did she..." Dart's saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, panting like a dog while he replayed the brief, brief moment of impossibility in his head. _No matter how...how strong she is, she can't just do that! You can't just shrug off a sword! _While racing thoughts ran through his head, a rough hand grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up, suspending him an inch or two off the ground. He looked the kidnapper in her eyes, meeting her ferocious gaze.

"Shocked, right? I tend to induce that in people. But I'm a woman of few words, so I'll let your weapon do the talking." Her focus shifted to Alice, suddenly lying on the ground with a bruised face.

She blinked, staring off ahead hopelessly as she spoke. "It was her wavelength... She channeled it into her stomach before the blade made contact." Blood trickled down her mouth, and Dart's pity for the otherwise stoic girl multiplied tenfold, realizing that her pain compared to his must have been far worse. Victoria raised her foot, looming over Alice like a guillotine.

Dart's eyes shot up, fighting against the three-star meister's hold. "Don't you _dare!_" Before he even knew what he was doing, his fist collided against her face, knocking off that ever-present smirk. She staggered back, immediately letting go of his hair. Her pupils were wide, and her mouth slack-jawed. She felt her nose, before looking down on the palm that had wiped it.

_It was bloody._

Victoria Brandt looked up from her minor injury and met Dart with a grin. Not a cocky or presumptuous one, but one of genuine glee, to Dart's further confusion. She rolled her head and spat on the cement with a new energy that didn't seem so half-assed anymore. "Damn, short stuff—no, Dart. That's your name, right? That was a pretty good hit! Sincerely, I wasn't expecting that. As thanks, I'll give you a hero's death!"

"W-What's that like?" Dart cocked his head.

"Painful and agonizing, but you'll probably save someone in the process, right?" She shrugged, apathetic at the prospect of murder.

"Enough of your banter, you scoundrel. Dart, wield me." Alice pushed herself off the ground, waiting patiently for her meister to give her the go-ahead.

Dart couldn't keep his attention off her wound. "But you're..."

"_Enough_, I said." Alice's body morphed into a blade, letting Dart catch it as she fell.

"Don't do anything stupid, alright now?" He gulped, hoping she wouldn't suddenly decide to do something ballsy and heroic. He came there with a party of four, and intended to leave with four, not counting Stein.

"Tch. I should be reminding you of that." In the time that their brief chat took, Victoria closed in on them. She came crashing in with a flying knee, more excited now than ever. Dart sidestepped, having seen it coming miles before.

"Gotcha...!" He announced, seizing her open leg. "Heck, I'll try it myself! SOUL FORCE!" While Victoria was reaching for a grabbing area, he went for a low blow to her shins, imbuing his leg with the same golden aura as earlier. Her legs leaned one way, on the verge of sending her Atlas physique plummeting to the ground. She grit her teeth and winced, but maintained her footing at the last second. "It was worth a shot!" He made a break for it, but Victoria had already gripped him in an armlock. He writhed and struggled, but his resistance was only met with more pain, his arm bending back further with each push.

"Stay still, Dart, I'll get you out of there!" Dart saw Alice's sword form brighten, and he quickly clasped his hand over the weapon, using all of his willpower to keep her in her that state.

"A-A-Alice! 'Member when I told y'not to do anythin' stupid?!" He bit onto his lower lip hard, fighting back the urge to use his breath for screaming instead of talking.

"Of course! That was hardly thirty seconds ago, I'm not dense!" Her transformation halted as she chastised him, to Dart's slight relief.

He could hear the bones cracking from within. "Y-Yep! 'Cause if you transformed back _right now_, Victoria'd go for you instead of me! And if you died, you'd be leaving me without a weapon! P-Pretty worthless sacrifice, if you ask me!" Dart's eyes remained wide and fixated on the sword, staring at it until it finally returned to its normal monochrome hue.

"Fine then...But you'd _better _figure a way out of this." Though Alice's usual coldness had grown easier on Dart's ears, he was surprised to hear a twinge of worry in her voice, or at least he assumed it to be.

"She's right, y'know. You got like, five seconds tops before this arm breaks." Victoria chimed in casually, to neither of their amusement. "Five." She blinked, pulling it back further. "Four. Three..."

"Aw Hell, I get it!" Dart simply elbowed her to escape, dashing away as he put himself out of her striking range. She looked hardly fazed, fixating on him like the last bit of paperwork on a long night shift. "Alice... Before I go on, I wanna say something." He said, looking to his blade thoughtfully. Her face appeared in the gleam of the two-tone metal, maintaining full eye contact, unlike the usual halfway glances shot his way. "We might die here, and now I know that." He said, reaffirming his hold on the hilt. "You've always been the one taking this seriously here. If it'd hadn't been for you, I'd be dead once, twice, thrice, whatever comes after that, and then some. So now, I'll start returning the favor!" He slashed at the air and beckoned for Victoria to attack, holding his weapon high with the tip pointed straight at her. Seemingly unbeknownst to him, the faintest of blue lights had begun to envelop him and Alice, rising up above his head and fading repeatedly.

"Dart, are we..." Alice began to ask, but part of her already knew. It wasn't telepathy, but perhaps something similar, like an unspoken thought shared between the two of them. Her form became unsound, losing some of its solidity but still barely holding onto its form, as if a thought's hesitation would shatter her on the physical plane. And it was _exciting. _A power far beyond that of a simple sword such as herself, and knowing Dart was to experience it too made her giddy. _This...This is Soul Resonance!_

A powerful wind brushed the hair out of Victoria's face, looking on with the faintest bit of interest. "Huh." Her arms crossed, discontent with waiting, but curious enough to stick around and see what happens. Even Cassiel had to take a moment to gawk, staring on with such wide-eyed curiosity.

The meister's arms shot upward, brandishing the sword high above his head. "'Crafted from the tides of battle, weathered through storms of agony, and set ablaze by the souls of those still fighting, I dub thee, _Dragonslayer._'" The words spilled like water bursting from a dam, unimpeded and flowing. All at once, Alice's blade assimilated a completely new shape, from cocoon to butterfly, a dark-red blade burst from the expanded hilt, as thick as a thumb and nearly six feet in length. Indecipherable runes became burned onto the sword, a new symbol appearing for each word Dart said.

"...How did you learn that?" Was all Alice could utter after he recited a line only spoken of in stories passed down within the Robinson family.

Dart raised a questioning eyebrow, narrowing his eyes off to the side as if even he didn't know where he got it from. "...Guessed?" He flicked his wrist, bringing down the mighty blade down to the cement in all but a single stroke. "Victoria, please stop." With his voice unwavering, the request seemed like it was more for her sake than his. The three-star remained unfazed, as always, limbering up casually whilst keeping the shiny scarlet blade in the corner of her eye.

"Alright, Dart. Wow me with your special attack." She was now moving onto basic arm stretches, waiting for them to come at her. A part of Alice's anger surged through Dart, shooting one of her trademark glares at the three-star before running ahead.

"I won't let this go to waste, Alice!" He leaped, and found the lengthy sword to be quite light in his hands, arching it upward before bringing it all down onto Victoria's head. She caught the blade with her bare hands, but not effortlessly. Even with her wavelength active, Dragonslayer was winning, forcing her to grind her feet back further with each successive push. "Let's bring it in!" Dart yelled. With just a little more resolve, just a little more sweat, and just a little more pluck, victory didn't seem so unattainable!

_Woosh. _"Eh?" A dumbfounded look crossed Dart's face, and suddenly there was a space between him and Victoria in the air. He half-smiled, half-grimaced as he realized Dragonslayer was gone, and at the worst possible moment. "...Darn." The meister muttered, shortly before taking a Soul-Forced elbow to his chest, throwing him against the laboratory's fence. He nearly blacked out upon impact, dropping the sword as he fell to the ground.

He saw Victoria's figure draw nearer to him, looming greater with every step. "...Wasn't strong enough to begin with..." Panting, he let go of the blade, his nails grinding into the hard dirt. "Alice...I'm sorry." The aura of defeat had swallowed him completely. "Your family's gonna..." The weight of the Robinson bloodline was all on him, and he had collapsed it. He had long given up trying to escape; Victoria had the both of them dwarfed in every physical aspect.

Light struck his eyes, and Alice was standing in front of him. Her form was stiff, showing no signs of wavering as she faced the powerhouse in front of her with only her arm transformed. "My family's going to what, Dart?" She asked calmly. "You should get out of here. Find a stronger weapon than me. I'll...I'll stay here." She begged, Alice Robinson sincerely _begging _him to leave, but that only made the decision harder for Dart. He kicked himself up using the fence to support himself, looking to his weapon somewhat angrily.

"Alice, there's no way I'll just sit back and let you—"

Victoria raised an objecting palm. "Ah. I've seen enough. You two pass. Mutual bond's all there alright."

Dart and Alice froze completely while they processed the words. She reached for a clipboarded paper and pen stuffed inside her jacket, disregarding them as she scribbled something down. Dart took the first step forward, swatting the clipboard out of her hands in both anger and confusion, moreso the latter. "Hey! Y'can't just be like that when Julian's _dead _over there!" He pointed to Cassiel, who was still in shock over his apparent murder.

She looked mildly surprised, glancing over at the incapped weapon. "Naw, you're just being overdramatic. Did you even check for a pulse?" Dart blinked. How it had occurred to _no one _to even examine his body before declaring him dead was beyond him. With Victoria leading the way, they walked over to Julian's side, peering down on him like surgeons at the operating table. "Come on, wake up..." The senior nudged him gently with her shoe, with no response. "Rise and shine douchebag, you're making me look like a murderer here..." She knelt and shook him by the shoulders, until he finally came to.

"Julian!" Still groggy, the weapon was immediately met with a squeezing hug from his meister, making for a decent substitute for a wake-up slap. He mumbled something about lawsuits and it being too early for this kind of thing—in the late afternoon—before collapsing again, this time somewhat more peacefully. "Ah, Miss Victoria, I assume we pass as well?" She asked.

Victoria's expression turned pensive before her lips pursed and nodded definitely, shrugging. "Yeah, sure. You four are the only ones who bothered to show, may as well give you all the credit." She jotted some more notes down, before noticing three glares turned her way. She put up her hands defensively, slightly flushed. "What? If you're pointing fingers, blame Stein over there! It was his damn idea!" She said. Like clockwork, their eyes fell on the doctor, who quickly became aware of the tension and broke off the ropes from his chair.

Stein smiled, brushing it off as if they had been the recipients of a prank. "True, faking a hostage situation and making you think your lives were at stake was slightly excessive, but it was a good learning experience, wasn't it?" A defined silence met his ears, and he lit a cigarette to fill in the awkwardness. "Oh, look a subject-changer. Victoria, take these." From his pocket, he flicked something shiny at his pupil, bouncing off her forehead before she hastily caught it.

"Oi..." A single key rested in her hand, and she had a feeling she knew what it meant. Stein, however, was already walking away. "Hey! I ain't done with you! Is this..."

"Keys to the lab. All yours, just don't touch my research material." He said, rather abruptly.

"Wait, wait!" She yelled, managing to stop him in his path. He half-looked her way, almost impatiently, but listening intently regardless. "You're... You're not retiring on me, are you?"

The good doctor flashed a lazy grin, shaking his head wistfully. "Ah, if only. But no. I'm set to accompany a group of my former students on a large-scale mission for an indefinite time period. I can't say I'll be back anytime soon, so make yourself comfortable." He laughed, dabbing his cigarette in between the cracks of the cement. Victoria considered trying to chase a proper goodbye out of him, but resigned herself to a sigh and gave in, waving back halfheartedly. She turned, and realized that the four were still there.

"Oh, right. You're still here. It was fun and all, but I gotta go. See ya around, maybe." She dismissed herself, running off to start packing her things.

Dart, Alice, and Cassiel looked at each other reflectively, before sort of shuffling back and going silent for a bit. "All's well that ends well?" Dart concluded, not knowing what to make of everything that conspired in the past few minutes.

Just as he spoke, Julian began coughing violently and rose to his feet. "I've lost _feeling _in my nose..."

**AN: Comments, critique, and questions entirely welcome.**


	11. (Update)

**Hey guys, author here. As sort of a casual note, since I can't upload images directly into the story, there are links to character appearances on my profile, specifically the one that goes to my deviantART page. If you get linked to a Twitter post, don't be alarmed; it's a way of bypassing FanFiction's link filters, and the link to my deviantART is in the post itself. And with that, I bid you adieu.**


	12. Promotion time! A step up or down?

**AN: Heads-up for blood and gore later on if you're on the squeamish side.**

Dart ruffled his tuxedo and bounced on his toes, antsy to speak. He stood behind a curtain, where an audience awaited him on the other side. _Tonight's the big night,_ he thought. An upbeat piano tune was playing off to the side, providing a nice atmosphere to suit the low-key, yet jovial mood.

"D. Cay, you're next." A voice said from the rafters. That was his cue to get moving. Dart peeked his head out from the curtains, looking out towards the vast crowd of faceless onlookers. Spotlights shone brightly from every angle, so much so that not even a single patch of darkness remained on the stage. Once he took those first few steps on the stage, he lost his sense of direction-having no idea where to go or what to say to the waiting crowd.

"Over here." To Dart's right, a silver-haired teen stood on a podium, dressed in a black suit with red linings. He twirled around a mic in his right hand, holding it out in front of Dart. He had a shark-toothed grin that gushed confidence, to the point where Dart felt a little intimidated. "Tonight, we have a special guest on our hands, everyone." The teen said, and the crowd applauded. "I'd like to introduce you to the coolest guy in the world, Dart D. Cay."

"Wait, really?" Dart whispered. For a second, he thought it was a joke. The teen's smile turned to a fleeting scowl for just a moment, looking impatient.

"Yeah. Say something, cool guy." The teen passed the mic to Dart and stepped off the podium. Through the silence of the gigantic room, it was easy to tell that the crowd was growing antsy. When Dart turned his attention back to where the teen was standing, he had disappeared, like a blade of grass in a jungle.

Dart smiled nervously, glancing off to the side. _Just wing it. _He thought. Imitating the silver-haired one, he put on a confident grin—even if it was a little fake. Ah, yes. All the pieces were perfectly set into place. Hundreds, possibly thousands, all sitting in harmonious silence, waiting to hear his voice. _Nothing_ could take this moment from Dart. He tapped the mic with his index finger, and his lips unstiffened, opening his mouth.

* * *

><p>Dart was pulled back into reality by someone shaking him by the shoulder. It was a shame too, he was just about to say something worth listening to (in his dream, at least). Dart didn't need to look to see who woke him up. It was Alice. "So...I'm not the coolest guy in the world?" He asked.<p>

"What?" Alice furrowed her brow.

"What? Uh, forget what I said. Why are y'up so early?" He inquired, cupping his hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright morning rays.

"Firstly, it's 10:30, secondly, look at this." She dangled a paper in front of his face, and Dart grabbed it, holding it in the morning rays.

"Congratulations students Dart D. Cay and Alice Robinson, you have officially been promoted to the EAT rank of students, report to the Death Room at approx. 1:45 PM…You will also be shifted to another higher-quality apartment, closer to the school." Dart mumbled, his eyes still adjusting. "Huh. Sounds pretty sweet." It had been only about a week after the incident with Victoria and Professor Stein; why something so sudden so soon?

"'Sweet' is an understatement. You have _no idea_ how long I've been hoping for this. Throw some actual clothes on, we're leaving early." She ordered. Dart took a moment to stretch his arms, hopping out of bed. "I'll be waiting in the hall, don't dawdle." He nodded, and she closed the door to his room.

_I mean, this IS a step up, right? _Dart thought, throwing on his usual get-up of a jacket, t-shirt, and jeans.

* * *

><p>Cassiel squinted blankly at the noon sun in all of it's laughing glory from her apartment room's balcony. Something about it was so enchanting. Maybe it was because she had hardly seen it for most of her life? Or perhaps because it was always in a state of perpetual happiness? Whatever it was, she could watch it chuckle all day. She blinked as something thumped against her head gently. She looked behind her to see what it was. A paper airplane, crumpled on the floor. She picked it up, unraveling it. It looked important; lots of bold print, underlining, and italics. Her eyes went wide with astonishment upon reading it. "I feel faint…" She whispered. It was an acceptance letter of sorts, informing them both that they had been officially recognized as no longer being in the NOT class of students, which mostly consisted of weaponless meisters and vice versa, as well as students failing most of their classes. "I assume it was because we took the extra mission, no?"<p>

"I checked, doesn't say. Good to know my broken nose wasn't for nothing..." Julian said, gingerly rubbing the spot where he had been slugged a week ago.

"Julian, did you read this part?" She asked, not being entirely specific.

"Cass, nobody reads the whole paper. It's a human thing." Julian explained, still adapting to Cassiel's ever-growing curiosity of the outside world.

"I believe it to be of utmost importance, Julian! Just have a look!" Cass drew emphasis to one of the sentences with her pointer finger as he leaned in closer to get a good view of it.

_You will also be shifted to another higher-quality apartment, closer to the school. _Julian was surprised he missed it on the paper. He read it twice, believing it too good to be true the first time. "This can't be serious."

"It is!" Cassiel confirmed. Julian found himself awestruck, but couldn't stop himself as he beamed with satisfaction. Cassiel was at a loss for words, instead opting to awkwardly embrace Julian in a tight hug, squealing with joy. He almost felt compelled to return the hug, but didn't for the sake of his ego.

And in the span of two hours, all their belongings were crammed into vacation bags by the two, feeling almost too eager to ditch their old apartment.

* * *

><p><em>Deep breaths,<em> Victoria thought. _Deep breaths._ She stood on the center platform of the Death Room, facing the entrance, her arms folded behind her back. She wanted to look confident, but at the moment, she was anything but. She hated how sweaty her palms were. She loathed that her stomach had enough knots to impress a ball of twine. And she _despised _that out of all her duties at the academy, this was the one that chilled her to the bone. Lord Death and Spirit sat leisurely by the side, wondering how the new teacher would turn out.

"Victoria, your back doesn't have to be a hundred percent straight, you know." The death god advised, watching as the student-turned-teacher stood with a shaky back. Lord Death expressed a little concern for her uncharacteristic behavior, wondering what was putting her so on-edge.

"A hundred-ten percent sir, I get it." Victoria said, not budging an inch from her spot.

"Maybe it's good she's taking it so seriously?" Spirit proposed. "A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound-"

"Yes, yes, I know how the saying goes. But don't you think that's a little hypocritical for you to say something like that? I mean, just look at your college years. You don't want me to get the pictures out, do you?"

Spirit hopped to his feet. "Nobody needs to see those!" The threat of pictures getting leaked was enough to shut him up, at least, giving Lord Death time to reflect.

_Times have changed. I'm getting old, aren't I?_ He mused. The Victoria Lord Death saw in front of him now was a completely different person than the headstrong runt who'd stepped into the DWMA a mere four years ago. Her figure was proud and swaggering, as always, but now, she had the experience and sufficient maturity to back it up.

"Hey, Death Scythe." Victoria turned her head, looking to Spirit with a flicker of interest. "Is...Is teaching kids easy?" She asked, with a noticeable stutter.

"What kind of answer do you want?" Spirit asked in reply.

"The straight truth." She confirmed.

"To answer your question...Nope. Not at all." Spirit said matter-of-factly, wondering if blunt honesty was really the best way to go.

"Good." Victoria seemed satisfied with that, quickly returning to form facing the entrance.

* * *

><p>Dart and Alice arrived at the entrance of the Death Room fashionably early at 1:44 PM, and they were considerably surprised to see other people there as well. Cassiel and Julian, their fire-forged friends were just climbing up the last of the stairs leading to the academy's second floor. The four of them exchanged a set of glances. Cassiel was the first one to speak.<p>

"Friends! I assume you have received the acceptance letter as well? I have yet to imagine what the EAT class will bring us!" She asked, showing hers off like a fancy ribbon. Even Julian looked hyped for the occasion, sporting a pair of expensive-looking shades casted over his brow.

"Yes, yes, I _suppose_ it's better than being in NOT, but…" Alice paused. "Aren't you all worried? I mean, sure, there's better housing than before, but everything's going to be different! We'll have more homework, more classes…" She began counting on her fingers, before getting cut off.

"I don't think it's that bad." Dart interjected. "Don't you guys ever want to...I dunno…" He bit his thumb, at a loss for words. "Be something bigger than yourself? Not like, rich and famous, none of that. Someone you can never imagine yourself being, like a superhero almost. " Following his long-winded speech, Dart bowed his head and puffed, just glad to have let it out.

Julian gave Dart a look. "Seriously? C'mon man, you're sounding like a motivational speaker."

"Wait, you think I sound motivational?" Dart asked, genuinely flattered.

"_A-hem._" Alice cleared her throat. "We're running late. Let's get moving, shall we?" She suggested, marching straight into the Death Room. Dart flashed a 'sorry, catch you later' look to Julian before dashing to catch up.

Dart slowed down to a brisk walking pace once he reached Alice. "Hey," He said, with his hands in his pockets. He no longer felt a need to be 'cool' around Alice. She didn't seem to react much either way. "I think they mellowed out a bit." Dart noted.

"What makes you say that? For all we know, they could be talking about us behind our backs. We hardly know them." Alice countered.

"We made a pact, remember? Can't go back on that. Besides, Julian's got pretty alright fashion sense—how could you _not_ trust a man so sharply dressed?" Dart said, a little disturbed at Alice's cynicism.

"So you're saying we give them the benefit of the doubt?" Alice raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-annoyed.

"Yeah. If it means that we trust them, then why not?" Dart gazed up at the silver guillotines, watching his reflection fade in and out from view. Alice's words had left a few lingering thoughts in his head. Sure, Cass and Julian claimed to be their allies, but this was coming from the same two who had been willing to attack them for the sake of collecting a petty reward. _But still..._Dart thought. _Cassiel didn't leave us behind after Julian got all busted up, right?_ _That's gotta count for something..._Before he could question himself any further, a hand snapped in front of his face, dragging him back down to reality.

"Try not to keep your head in the clouds, for our sake. Victoria is probably observing our habits and taking notes." She rationalized, weighing her options carefully. Being Stein's protégé, Alice guessed that Victoria may have picked up a few traits from her mentor.

As they neared the end of the path, a familiar face came into view, standing dead-center in the path. Victoria Brandt, who looked awfully solemn today, gave them a quick wave before swiftly withdrawing her hand behind her back. "Take a seat, take a seat." Lord Death instructed. Dart sat with both legs stretched, while Alice sat with her legs crossed, back straight. Cassiel and Julian arrived a few seconds later, squatting down behind.

"Dart, Alice, Cassiel, Julian...This is your new teacher. We know you're already well acquainted now, maybe in some ways you wished to forget. But I ask you to start off on a fresh slate with her." Lord Death twiddled his fingers together, struggling to explain the complicated situation. Victoria's face turned a light pink as Lord Death went on, deliberately avoiding the group's looks.

There was a short silence between Lord Death, Spirit, and Victoria, before another word was spoken.

"Any conclusive thoughts, Victoria?" Lord Death asked, tilting his head.

Victoria shut her eyes tight, took a full breath, and opened, looking more confident than nervous now. "Yeah, I know, alright? You're pissed off. And you've got every reason to be, after that, _ahem_, stunt by our dear doctor. But you can't take it out on Stein anymore, can you? Nope, now you've only got his cohort, _me. _So, as payback, I'll take you toddlers under my wing, free-of-charge. And until you little squirts have made Death Scythes—no, until you're _at my level_, you're not dropping this class. How about it?" By the time she finished, Victoria subdued, having put some distance between herself and her four possible students.

"Well then!" Cassiel rose, her palms square on her hips. "Victoria, if you intend to better yourself for our sake, than I intend to do the same...friend!" And thus began the domino effect.

Julian nodded in response to Victoria's proposition. "Yeah, whatever. I'm not standin' up though."

Alice went next, giving a halfhearted curtsy. "Bloody Hell, you people are trite. No need for dramatic speeching here, a simple 'yes' will suffice."

All eyes fell on Dart, awaiting his response. "Well, um..." He tugged at his collar, well-aware of the pressure on him. _Even if it was staged and all...Victoria damn near killed us! She seems real genuine, but..._ The events of the week before replayed in Dart's mind over and over, unable to rid himself of the distrust that he now associated with Victoria.

"Dart, hurry up, you're embarrassing me..." Alice shot an impatient glare his way, forcibly making eye contact.

"Victoria's intentions are most pure, Dart! I see no reason for this kind of treason!" Even Cassiel sounded a little outraged at his hesitation, not helping with his already muddled mental state.

Before another mouth could open, Victoria intervened. "Oi, oi, don't harass the kid. I wanna hear Dart say it for himself." Her voice carried confidence, shutting up those around her with its authority.

The meister finally got up, obligated to speak. "I—" Conveniently enough, the bell rang, cutting Dart off before he could explain himself.

"Whenever you've got your answer..." Victoria passed him by, Alice, Cassiel, and Julian following suit. His opportunity had faded, and now, the rest of the world was moving without him. Dart stuttered, before silencing himself.

_Guess I gotta make tomorrow a better day, huh? _He thought wistfully, running ahead with no time for grievances.

* * *

><p>The following day.<p>

Dart stared blankly in front of the mirror, only half-clothed as he looked over the month's festivities on the calendar whilst swishing some mouthwash. The current date was circled in red, forcing his heavy eyelids to hone in on Alice's cursive to get a good read.

Begin classes with Victoria today.

The meister did a spit-take onto the mirror, bursting out of the bathroom door in his jeans. Alice, being Alice, was already ten steps ahead of him, adjusting her backpack straps at the door. "What time?!" He shouted, already fumbling into his room in search of a t-shirt and jacket.

"It's 7:50. Don't dawdle, I'll be outside." The apartment door shut behind her, leaving Dart to his own means while she made her way to the bus stop.

"Aw hell, w-wait up!" Still trying to poke his head through his shirt, he threw himself out the second-story window of his apartment, making a less-than-smooth landing on the parking lot pavement.

"Still here..." Alice had taken a seat by the sidewalk corner, thoroughly absorbed in a crossword puzzle. Dart joined her, leaning against a nearby lamppost. "Pardon, but..." The end of her pen tentatively tapped against her lip. "I need a ten-letter word along the lines of being unable to make a choice. Anything?"

"Indecisive?" Dart shrugged.

"That's the one. Now how about a six-letter word often used when describing someone with sudden stage fright or otherwise tongue-tied?"

"Choked?"

"Ah, perfect fit. By chance, can I get an eight-letter name, feminine, synonymous with triumph and glory..."

Dart shot up, shooting a frumpy glance at the blonde. "Alright now, no need to remind me."

"Hmph. What tipped you off?" Though she didn't smile, there was a faint air of amusement to her tone, indifferent to Dart's plight.

"Well, for starters, you aren't even on the crossword page." He pointed out, peeking over her shoulder.

Alice hurriedly shoved the paper and pen in her backpack. "I-Irrelevant," she cleared her throat. "What's important now is yesterday, Dart. Were you trying to make fools out of the both of us? I'm hardly concerned about reputation, mind you, but she's our teacher now. We need her good graces, and your rampant distrust isn't doing us any favors."

"I've got reasons, alright? Not that I _dislike_ her or nothin', but—"

Alice silenced him by placing in her index finger in front of his lips, looking to the end of the street. "Well, speak of the devil. It'd be in your best interest not to flub this time." A pink convertible made its presence known on the empty road, the radio blaring music while it sped ahead. It wasn't much of a question as to who the boisterous driver was, even from a distance. The car screeched to a halt in front of the two, honking twice.

"Good morning, comrades!" Cassiel waved from the front passenger seat, somehow able to wear those thick blue robes under the sun's killer waves. Julian was much more reserved, shuffling around to find the right angle of shade for his phone screen.

"Get in, losers. We're going on a field trip." In stark contrast to her behavior yesterday, Brandt seemed entirely confident, smirking like no tomorrow. She was donned in an exceedingly casual black muscle tee and shorts, giving the impression that she was more like a senior student than a teacher.

"Y-Yup, right away." Dart threw himself into the backseat next to Julian, hastily buckling up and shutting up. Alice did the same, staring at him expectantly all the while. The engine revved up, and they were off in moments, blazing a trail through the streets of Death City.

From there, conversation wasn't booming, despite the dramatic entrance. Victoria was focused on the drive, Julian was focused on his phone, Alice was focused on Dart, and Dart, well, his mind was elsewhere. "Oi, it's kinda quiet. You guys alright back there?"

_Pleasedon'thatemepleasedon'thatemepleasedon'thatemepleasedon'thateme._ Dart blinked. "Just peachy."

"A-hem. Dart. Don't you have something to admit?" A booted foot kicked the meister beneath the seat, jolting him upwards. He shot a glare at Alice, before assuming his easygoing facade again.

"N-Nope, 'fraid not!" He faked a chuckle, but not before returning the favor to Alice with a kick to the shins. A few accusatory whispered words brushed his eardrums, but he chose to play dumb and ignore them so as not to spoil the mood.

"Miss Victoria, I cannot help but notice the direction we are heading leads outside of the city. For what purpose?" A curious Cassiel inquired, nearly flying out the car altogether had it not been for the seatbelt.

"Ten points to Gryffindor. What's your point?" Victoria still had a simpering look on her face, taking obvious pleasure in knowing something the four of them didn't.

Julian sighed, giving up on the lost cause that was his phone. "Uh, in case y'don't have eyes, there's nothing but desert for fifty miles once we get out of here."

Brandt didn't flinch, dully scanning the road ahead. "Yeah, what's your point?"

Julian's eyes bulged in silent terror. "Yeah, no. I'm not doing this." He unbuckled and gripped the side door, looking fully intent on tucking-and-rolling out of the moving car.

"I don't see what you're so worked up about," Alice began, just loud enough for Julian to hear. "You're a weapon. I doubt you'll be doing any heavy lifting. Not that you strike me as hard-working to begin with, however."

"A-Alice!" Dart gawked, hit with a flush of second-hand embarrassment. Just as Julian was about to jump ship, he turned to face Alice with a suspicious glint in his red eyes, squinting.

"...Are you _insinuatin_' what I think you're _insinuatin'?_" Julian questioned, trying to look menacing whilst struggling to balance standing on the car seat. Alice didn't back off, meeting his glare unfazed. Literally caught in the middle of the scuffle, Dart laid an exhausted hand on his temple, witnessing an unstoppable force and an immovable object at work, or perhaps more appropriate, two hotheads who are both under the shared impression they're really cool.

"Oh? Shall I spell it out? Allow me to put it in layman's terms for you: _you're a child._ Ever since we've met, it's like you've had a complete aversion to responsibility." She said, making firm eye contact with the other weapon alllll the while. Julian turned positively fiery, his teeth mashing together, nose wrinkled, raring to go.

"Well, say it to my face, y'spoiled brat!" Julian leaned in closer, pushing down on Dart's shoulder for extra support.

Alice's hand cupped over her mouth, appalled. "_Pardon?_ You'll have to speak up, because my ears aren't receptive to that level of _bullshit!_" She was an inch away from Julian's forehead, perhaps one of the few times Dart had seen Alice legitimately fuming at someone else. Both of their fists were balled, and it seemed just one more escalation could send them kicking and hair-pulling in the backseat.

Dart, whose presence had nearly diminished by now, could no longer bear it. "_STOP!" _He shrieked. The three of them went quiet. Julian and Alice's fury turned to mutual confusion, declaring a wordless ceasefire and backing down.

"Didn't your mothers' teach the both of ya how to act? I mean, I know nobody's perfect, but _heck_, I've got limits!" Dart lectured on, looking at Alice and Julian accusingly. They didn't retaliate. After that outburst, he heaved a sigh and hoped at least Cassiel or Victoria would have something of value to say.

"You guys alright back there? Thought I heard something." For all but a moment, Victoria ceased the radio's blasting, looking over the shoulder at the backseat passengers.

"Yeah." The three of them answered in unison, in a quiet, meek tone. By now, they had just exited Death City and entered rough, desert terrain. There was a road, but it had mostly been torn up from years without maintenance. Pebbles littered the road, which wasn't much of a problem, until they started getting bigger and more plentiful, eliciting a curse from Brandt every time they so happened to run one over.

"Victoria, be alert—!" Cassiel pointed ahead frantically, all too late. By the time Victoria noticed, a sharp rock half her size was mere inches away from the car's hood. In a panic, she slammed on the brakes, hardly enough to soften the blow.

There was a collective 'OW!' in the car as the convertible jerked back, making everyone violently lurch forward in their seats. The trunk clanged loudly, for reasons unknown.

The invincible Miss Brandt swung around, her forehead noticeably trickling as she examined everyone individually. "DAMMIT! E-Everyone alright? I'll cover the hospital bill, just..." She was met with blank stares all around, still reeling from the suddenness of it all.

"I'm perfect—look." He went through the full range of motions of his arm and leg joints individually and meticulously in an effort to ease his teacher's tension. "How 'bout you, Alice? Y'okay?"

"F-Fine." She blinked, looking a little jolted. "I'd recommend taking a look in the mirror, however." Her trademark deadpan was all that was needed to confirm her well-being, in Dart's experience.

"Mighta sprained an ankle. Whatever, I'll walk it off." Julian puffed his chest out, to no one's amazement, save for maybe Cassiel.

"Pristine condition, I might add!" Cassiel interjected, flying out and about at the first opportunity. Victoria's shoulders slumped, her chest deflating as she let out a dragging breath.

"Thank God," she sighed. "Alright, everybody out of the car." Without pause, Victoria hopped out and gestured for everyone else to do the same, especially with none of them being injured. Sitting on the car's hood, she looked to be scanning over the homogeneous desert, before snapping her fingers in a spark of eureka and bouncing up. "Over there! It's perfect, got some decent-sized rocks for shade and some to sit on. D. Cay, I need you to grab something from the trunk; only thing there, you'll know it when you see it. The rest of you, follow me."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Dart saluted, perhaps a touch overboard for the situation at hand, but he was eager to please.

"Uh…" Dart laid his hand on his forehead in bemusement. The baggage wasn't just _in _the trunk, it was bulging out of it, leaving it a mystery as to how it didn't fall out on the drive there. "Hey, Cassiel! Y'mind lendin' a hand?" Dart waved, grabbing the airborne Esper's attention. She didn't seem all that abrasive, and maybe Alice and Julian would sort things out among themselves with some time together.

"Just a moment!" She jetted over, landing behind the trunk next to Dart. With her at his side, Dart propped open the trunk, revealing a steel crate almost as tall as himself. On its front side, there was a rectangular hole to peek through, but it was too dark to get a good view.

Without a lapse in confidence, she nodded and clenched her fists."Surely with out combined strength, this will be no issue!"

Dart blinked, amazed. "Wowie, Cassiel, I knew you were spirited, but not this much!"

Roughly a minute or so later, Dart heaved a shaky breath, carrying the entire weight of the metal crate on his back. "I-Is this whatcha call helping, Cassiel...?" He squeaked out, in between grunts.

"Come now Dart! Keep your spirits high! You mustn't lose hope! Mustn't!" Playing the role of moral support, Cassiel cheered on Dart at his side, yelling fiercer whenever he so much as caught his breath.

"I...I dunno how much longer I can...!" The sun's rays hazed up everything in his field of vision, giving the impression that Victoria and the others were a hundred miles away as opposed to a hundred feet. His back was cracking. His arms were weak. His body was giving out...

_SKREE! _Completely unprovoked, the box screeched, causing him to drop it instantly.

"_What?!_" Dart yelled, gawking horrified at the crate, and whatever beast laid inside.

"_What?!_" Cassiel parroted, equally as taken aback. Neither of them knew how to interact with the box now, frozen in place while their hearts pounded out of their chests.

"U-Uh..." Dart tried his best to put on a rational facade, speaking slowly. "J-Just uh...Don't look it in the eyes." He oh-so-eloquently suggested, hesitantly hoisting it up on his back once more.

* * *

><p>Victoria tapped her foot impatiently, groaning loudly every few seconds to get somebody to realize she was growing irritated. "Hey, Robinson, you know Dart better than anyone. What's taking him so long?" She barked, arching her chin upward.<p>

Alice didn't look up, neatly emptying the contents of her backpack. "Just my lucky guess here, but perhaps he's a bit preoccupied with the giant metal crate he's hauling." Her tone was rife with quiet sarcasm, eliciting an annoyed look from her teacher.

Brandt almost worried herself, until she saw Dart and Cassiel only a short ways away from the campsite, with the former carrying the cargo like a pack mule. "Alright, alright, don't kill yourself, I've got this." She jogged over to the lanky teen and took the load off his back, lifting the metal box over her head two-handed and chucking it to the center of the campsite for all to see.

"Now that that's taken care of...Today's lesson!" Victoria paced around constantly as she spoke, before finally settling underneath a cluster of boulders that formed a tower-like structure. "You kids like...Games, right?" An uncomfortable silence wavered in the air among the group.

"U-Um...Yeah?" Dart said hesitantly. ..._Where's Victoria headed with this?_ Dart thought, his eyebrows slanting upwards.

"Good to hear!" Victoria smirked. "See that crate over there?" Everyone except Victoria uneasily faced the enigmatic metal crate, barely hearing the unnerving moans and scratches. Victoria twirled around a ring of keys around her pointer finger. "Anyone wanna guess what's inside?"

_What is it? _Dart thought.

"A creature?" Cassiel guessed, with only the slightest twinge of concern to her voice.

_Gonna tell us yet? _He mused.

"A body." Alice theorized from the sidelines.

_It'll only take a second! _Dart bit his lip to prevent himself from thinking out loud.

"Something that ain't gonna kill us?" Julian guessed, standing the farthest away from the crate.

"Nope, nope, and dead wrong!" Victoria wasted no time in shooting down their guesses, still spinning the keyring around and 'round.

"Is it alright if we just open it?" Dart finally asked. Victoria's eyebrows rose, and then fell as she considered the question. Dart flicked a dangling bit of hair out of his face nervously, completely unsure of what her response might be.

"Hey, D. Cay." Dart looked up to see a shiny object headed straight for his face. He instinctively caught it, and inferred from the jingle it made when he grabbed it that it was the keys. Victoria grinned smugly, silently daring Dart to satisfy his curiosity regarding the box's insides. "You win. No more shenanigans, no more guessing games. See what's inside for yourself. Though I would recommend standing _away_ from the door." She poisonously advised. Before he went through with it, Dart looked to Alice to read her expression. She caught his gaze, and gave him a quick nod of confirmation.

Dart held the key in both hands with an iron grip, pretending not to hear the moans and clatter coming from the box. He inserted the key in, but made sure he was on the door-side first, heeding Victoria's advice. The door gave way with a creak that would make grown adults shiver.

"They're a little shy. Give 'em a second or two." Victoria said, looking at the box with a watchful eye. Julian climbed on top of a waist-high rock, tensely standing by.

After a brief but nerve-wracking pause, two creatures burst out of the open crate with a howl. Everyone but Victoria recoiled back, but not without a scream or two. Or three.

"A-Are those…" Alice's mouth found itself unable to shut as she looked at the things before her. The red bloodshot eyes, the malformed and disfigured bodies, and hooked teeth lined with saliva. All of these features could easily be attributed to an animal, yet they still looked vaguely human. Without a shadow of doubt, Alice knew; those things were Kishin eggs. The only thing she didn't recognize were the electronic grey collars strapped around their necks, with a green light blinking on it every few seconds. They sauntered around the area, getting uncomfortably close to the fear-stricken teens, eyeing their potential prey up and down.

"_Hey!_" Victoria's hand jerked into her coat pocket and yanked out a plastic remote control, with a big red button as it's sole defining feature. At the sight of it, the Kishin eggs cowered in fear, anxiously glancing down at the collars. The larger Kishin (whom Alice had internally dubbed 'Gorilla', on account of its bloated arms and shriveled legs) pounded at the ground in rampant frustration, while the smaller Kishin (Alice called that one 'Carnivorous', with its beast-like teeth and claws) turned a naerby rock into his own personal scratching post.

"I've got these things on a little proverbial leash right now, so there's no need to worry. If they act too out of line, those rings around their neck will turn their throats into a pincushion with a bunch of tiny needles." Victoria looked tense, glowering at the Kishin eggs with the remote clasped tight in her hand.

"S-So you're saying it's safe?" Julian questioned, stepping down from the safety of his rock, albeit reluctantly. "Only because I was worried Dart was gonna shit a brick." Julian quickly added.

"There shall be no deaths under Victoria's watch." Cassiel asserted, floating down to ground level. "Julian, I'm slightly disappointed in your lack of trust in our teacher!" She shook her head in vehement disapproval, putting on a pouting face.

"Hate to break it to you Cassiel, but he might have a point." Victoria confessed. "This was a bad idea in the first place. The DMWA staff really only uses these for research purposes, but I dragged 'em here anyway." While Victoria lamented her rather unforesightful decision, the Kishin eggs wandered around the area in a strangely docile manner, actually giving the students some level of space. "But we're stuck with 'em now, so let's make the best of what we got!" She declared, leaning forward on her palms as if the rock in front of her was a conference table. The Kishins stopped in their respective trails, and looked at each other. "But still, you're right. Nobody is dying on my watch! You can be dead sure on that one."

"Atten-TION!" Victoria bellowed. "You all brought textbooks and pencils, correct?" Before she'd even asked, Alice was already headfirst into note-taking, oblivious to everyone around her. "Woah, Robinson, you wanna pick up the pace a little?" She quipped, getting a few snickers from everyone, including a guilty Dart. Alice's lips pursed irritatedly, shoving herself deeper into her studies. Victoria cleared her throat, moving on.

"For your first official assignment in this class, I want you to record the movements and behavior of the Kishin eggs. This is an individual assignment, AKA no partners!" Victoria said, disregarding a more-than-audible groan coming from Julian. "You have ten minutes, begin!" With that, she left her students to their own means, standing under the shade of the boulder cluster with her eyelids lightly shut.

That was the cue for Dart to take out his supplies and get to work. He narrowed his eyes to focus solely on the Kishins, as if his eyes were a twin pair of telescopes, idly bumping his eraser against the notebook every few seconds. But no matter how many times he tapped his pencil on the loose-leaf paper, the notes didn't write themselves. The first thing that stuck out to him was their spider-like, feral prowl that served as a reminder that they had devolved into something far less than human. _Well...They crawl. That's something. _Dart observed, quickly jotting that down next to a bullet point. Carnivorous looked on the verge of wandering away, hiding behind the rocks in plain sight like he was planning to make some great escape. Gorilla tried to climb up one of the numerous rock towers around the perimeter, but those arms could only take him so far before he fell. His observations weren't really adding up to much until he noticed something.

The Kishins talked. Okay, maybe 'talked' was an over-exaggeration. It was more just a way of communication as opposed to actual speech. Carnivorous grunted with a raspy voice, and beckoned to Gorilla with his elongated arm, standing right outside of the makeshift campsite. Gorilla followed, and they moved to somewhere out of Dart's line of sight, hidden by the boulders.

Dart had just finished copying down some trivial field notes when his ears perked to the sound of gravel and sand shifting around. Even with her eyes closed, Victoria could sense the universal strain that hushed the group to a whisper. "Hey, what's with the sudden silence?" Victoria asked brusquely, opening her left eye. From the looks on their faces, it didn't take long for Victoria to deduce the source of the unease. "They're just fooling around. I already told you kids, _nobody is going to d_—_"_ Before she could finish, a foreboding grating put the conversation on hold.

It happened before anyone saw it coming. The ground thundered something fierce, heralding a huge dust cloud immediately afterwards. Dart expected to hear Victoria assure him and everyone else that everything was okay; that it was only a quirky little accident that happened on the spot. He tried to call her name, but the dust filled his lungs and forced him into a coughing fit. His eyes watered from the stinging of airborne sand while trying to get back on his feet. "No…" His eyes had to be betraying him. _That could never happen to Victoria. This isn't..._Where Victoria last stood, there was a boulder twice her size lying on the ground, big enough to dent the earth on impact.

"W-What happened?!" Cassiel despairingly looked at her peers, begging for an answer. While she spoke, the Kishin eggs reared their heads around from behind the rocks that hid them earlier.

"They killed her...T-They pushed the rock on top and…" Julian's mouth went dry as he recalled his account of what occurred moments ago. "Hey, w-where's the remote?!"

"Forget about it, it's probably crushed! Once we get to the academy, we'll report this, and the rest will solve itself, understood?" Alice spoke breathlessly and pointed towards the DWMA before making a break for it. Julian and Cassiel followed, kicking up sand in their wake. The Kishins made eye contact with Alice for a few brief seconds before she took off running, smiling at her—not even moving; displaying the reddish-brown strings of flesh rotting in between their teeth. The sight chilled her very being, but it could hardly stop her from running.

Soon enough, Alice felt she had put a considerable distance between the campsite and her current location. _I don't hear footsteps behind us. We're losing them! _Alice glanced behind her just to be absolutely sure, and her stomach dropped. Her boots dragged to a messy halt in the sand as she made a quick pivot to turn around. _Dart, what the hell are you doing…? _

Dart groaned as he slipped his hands in the thin gap between the rock and the ground. "I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? Just hang on! Please!" Dart pleaded, oblivious to the two shadows looming over him. _Victoria...Ever since we met, I've been a thorn in your side. And when you tried to own up to it, I didn't believe you. You were willing to be the better person and I rejected you! I'll make up to you, I SWEAR! _His breathing had been reduced to short gasps now, still persisting at trying to lift up the rock. A pair of shrill voices cackled behind him, and Dart's rational self returned. Carnivorous lunged at his neck, jaws extended wide-open.

"_HM!_" A blur of black and white flew in front of the two, and much to Dart's surprise, he _wasn't_ dead. Alice had arrived just in the nick of time, giving the Kishin a mouthful of sword with her partially-transformed arm. "I can't hold on like this forever, you know!" Alice said through her teeth. That was enough to bring Dart back to his senses. He grabbed a handful of sand and hurled it at Carnivorous's face, giving him all the time he needed to grab Alice's arm and put some distance between the Kishin.

"We were supposed to run." Alice said.

"Alice, I'm being serious. Victoria, she isn't…" Dart sighed. "Can you transform, please? These Kishins are kinda in the way." Alice paused, and gave him an understanding nod. With a flash of light, Alice went from girl-to-sword in no time flat, her hilt landing flat in Dart's palm. His initial plan was to take down the Kishins, and maybe lift up the boulder with the rest of the group's assistance, but now he wasn't so sure.

Cassiel jerked back in the air as a giant fist swung her way. Her whip wrapped around Gorilla's wrist, but he shrugged it off with just a mere flail of it's arm. He roared, and charged straight forward at the Esper. "Cass! Don't just float there!" Julian yelled. But it was too late—Cassiel's body was thrown against a rock formation by the sheer force of the blow. She moaned, barely holding onto consciousness.

"I will not falter...I will not falter..." Cassiel assured, positioning herself back up. She shook as she saw the ape-like Kishin advancing towards her, fists clenched. "I will not—" Cassiel screamed when she saw the punch coming. It missed her by an inch, grazing her pink hair. It didn't, however, miss the boulder-tower behind her, causing the stones to topple over like a flimsy stack of cards.

"Don't wanna sound like I'm complaining, but we're kinda on a time crunch here!" Dart reminded them, still dead-set on saving Victoria. Dart bent his knees and concentrated, keeping his eyes glued shut. "Let's go, Soul Resonan—" Before he could finish, Carnivorous tackled the meister, pinning him to the ground and knocking Alice out of his hand in one swipe. The Kishin bit at Dart's head, but he swerved his jugular out of the way just in time. This repeated again and again, with Dart brushing with death several

"Stay put, I'll take care of it!" Assuming her human form, Alice went ahead to dash to her meister's position, only to crash face-first into a launched Cassiel, nearly knocking the both of them out right there. "Cassiel—Cassiel, move!" She tried to shove the girl's weight off her, but it proved useless; Cassiel was unconscious. _This is despair, _Alice thought, _I'm going to watch everyone die, and not be able to do a damn thing about it._ Resigning herself to cruel fate, Alice crumpled into a fetal position on her side, and shut her eyes. And when she did, she was there, staring out her bedroom window, watching the winds shake the quiet grasses while her friends cried out in agony.

* * *

><p><em>I told you. Nobody is going to die.<em>

* * *

><p>Alice looked up with a pair of unbelieving eyes. She was sure she'd heard a furious scream right then. It was so loud even Gorilla and Carnivorous took pause to see what had made it. Her senses must've been betraying her. Using her sword arm as leverage, she pushed herself up beyond Cassiel, getting a better look at the intriguing sight.<p>

A woman with fiery red hair stood amidst the chaos, holding what looked to be a gargantuan rock. She held it high above her head, yet she still looked like she could collapse at any moment. "_What the hell do you think you're doing to my students?_" The woman looked up, and from one glance, Alice knew. She knew that Victoria was alive. Her back arched, and she lobbed the boulder away—finally relieving herself of its burden.

Victoria pointed to the heavens, basking in the sunlight. "Everyone, fall back! Watch and take notes while your teacher demonstrates!" She boldly proclaimed, cracking both her knuckles and then her neck. With her head tucked in and her arms up, her eyes dared the Kishin eggs to attack.

Carnivorous sprinted forward. The Kishin egg had bloodlust in his eyes, and it showed in his fighting style too. Like a limp puppet being yanked by its strings, he jerked about, jumping into close fray with a slash of his long claws. The meister weaved back as he came at her once, twice, thrice over, avoiding potentially gutting swipes with cool-headed dodges. At the last, most ferocious, most furious attack, Carnivorous's nails became lodged in the ground, rendering him a fearful and helpless Kishin egg. Before Victoria had the chance to split his skull open, however, Gorilla stepped in, separating the two just by barrelling in with his massive figure.

Victoria panted. Her knuckles were bloodied, and her she had gotten a black eye on her left. "Nice warm-up. Now it's your turn to play defense." She took off dashing towards the Kishin eggs. Her reddish soul wavelength concentrated brightly near her forehead, giving her the appearance of a human torch. Gorilla stepped in front of his partner with his fist held back, waiting for exactly the right moment to pulverize her. Victoria hopped forward to deliver her attack. The muscle-bound Kishin egg was more observant than he looked. He foresaw the attack, and threw a timed punch at the airborne meister. "Now, Soul Force!" Victoria's wavelength-channelled head clashed against Gorilla's fist, causing explosive results. After taking such a devastating hit, he stumbled backwards and fell upon Carnivorous. They wriggled around helplessly, but Gorilla's shrivelled lower body simply couldn't support his muscular upper body. Meanwhile, Carnivorous was nearly suffocating under his companion's weight. Victoria looked at the Kishins, and then turned her attention to the boulder they had nearly crushed her just shy of a minute ago.

Victoria walked over to the boulder and stared at it for a few seconds. For once, weakness was visible in her broad shoulders, deflated, even. She slowly knelt down next to the boulder and wiped the sweat off her brow. Under the burning afternoon sun, Victoria brought the boulder from the ground to her shoulders. Under the gigantic stone's shadow Victoria must have looked like a demon, because the mere sight of it made the Kishin eggs squirm even more. They were like flies in a spider's nest-very much alive, aware, and terrified. Dart felt a feeling in his gut rise. Was it triumph? Satisfaction? Nevertheless, he watched intently.

Letting out something akin to war cry, the boulder flew from Victoria's palms, right towards her immobile targets. The once-mighty rock split into pebbles as it hit its mark, lightly stained with dirtied blood. And then, like twin lanterns, two souls, red and impure, floated upward from the wreckage; victory!. Eternally and eternally relieved, Victoria grinned with the whites of her teeth, and fell over backwards. Her students ran over and surrounded her, looking down at their teacher.

"Victoria! Speak to me!" Dart cried, clasping her hand tightly.

"I'm not lying down...This is a training exercise, I promise." She assured him, unable to disguise her hoarse breaths. "Hey! Did I or did not say 'lie down'?! _Lie, dammit!_" She weakly pounded her fist on the ground, her nose convulsing in mild anger. The four of them glanced amongst themselves, before awkwardly settling down to roast under the Nevada sun.

"Today was good." Cassiel concluded flatly, silently 'ooo'-ing and 'ah'-ing at passerby clouds.

**AN: Happy Valentine's Day! Can't believe it's been a year since I first put this story out here. Anyway, I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, so constructive criticism and comments are welcome!**


	13. Holy Sword Tales! Alice in wonderland?

_In the dark of the night, criminals flee! _

_No sword under the sun is as mighty as heeeee! _

_But he could always go for a spot of teeaaaaaa! _

_He is…_

_EXCALIBUR!_  
><em>(Fool!)<em>

* * *

><p>After holding onto them for hours, Dart dropped his bags and stared in awe. "If God gave us a heaven on earth, I think it might look a little something like this." He and Alice were finally experiencing the perks of being in the EAT class, with a newer, higher-quality apartment being one of them. He wasn't sure what to admire first: the brightly-colored walls, the island kitchen (complete with a petite little window that provided a nice view of the city), the flat-screen TV mounted to the wall, and possibly best of all, reclining chair positioned riiiiiight next to the couch, perfect for lounging evenings. Dart raced from the doorway to the chair in no time flat, flopping onto it and sinking into its cushiony majesty.<p>

"Oh no, don't work too hard." Alice didn't seem that blown away by the room's presentation, to Dart's surprise. Perhaps she was used to the upper-crust life. "Pick yourself up, we still have work to do. If we work together, we can get all of this unpacked quickly. We'll start with my belongings, of course." Upon hearing this Dart let out a high-pitched whine, somewhat muffled with his face pressed against the chair. He wriggled from the soft clutches of the chair and stood back up with a light trudge in his step, picking up a few more bags in his brittled fingers. The luggage seemed heavier than ever during the walk to Alice's soon-to-be room. The second they stepped in the room, they let the baggage plop to the hardwood floor. It was as basic as basic gets; a bed, a window, a built-in closet, and a nightstand for aesthetic.

"Start unpacking the decorations. I'm going to go sort my clothes out. When in doubt, ask me." Alice grabbed a sack of clothes and retired to the closet, leaving Dart to his own duties.

_Y'know, she never told me where these were supposed to go._ Dart mused, rubbing his chin. After thinking it over for a bit, he decided to prioritize the bigger items first, getting the small ones later. With his plan set, he began digging through the bag, setting aside the tinier items. A lot of Alice's 'decorations' actually consisted of family portraits-or at least what Dart presumed to be family portraits. There were so many pictures Dart felt some envy for the vastness of her family; how she was probably never alone. Despite the gaps in generations, they all had one defining feature: a stoic expression with the chin held high. Dart looked at Alice briefly, and then back at the photographs, noting a resemblance. _Must run in the blood._ He thought. Sitting at the bottom of the backpack, Dart finally found something that _wasn't _a photograph of some kind. It was a rolled-up poster, sealed up tight with a rubber band. He withdrew it from the bag, unraveling it with a curious gaze. "What's this?"

"_Don't_ touch it!" Dart sprang up, dropping the poster immediately. Alice picked up the poster with the tips of her thumb and index finger, obviously treating it with great care. The poster looked like something straight out of a comic book: depicting a glowing golden sword with wings of light on a bright-red background. Just below the sword, there were big bolded letters that spelled out 'EXCALIBUR'.

"This is the Holy Sword Excalibur, said to be the greatest weapon ever forged, even to this day. He was- no, _is_ my role model. It's said his weapon form can cut down a thousand men in five seconds." Alice said, putting the poster above the center window, so it would be the first thing anyone would see when they walked in. "When I become a Death Scythe, the first thing I plan to do is go to Excalibur's domain."

"Why not now?" Dart asked.

"Pardon?" Alice's head swerved to Dart, suddenly curious about what he had to say.

"The teleporters. Y'know, the ones at the academy? I mean, if it's for research, then what are they gonna do to stop you?" He explained. Alice's eyes went wide and she immediately stood up, starting for the door.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"Pursuing destiny." Alice said, storming out of the room. Seconds later, Dart heard the front door shut, confirming that she had left. Dart looked at the hordes of unpacked bags and sighed. "I need a lunch break."

* * *

><p>Alice's boots clicked rapidly as she power-walked through the hallway, dead-set on reaching the teleporter. She hardly paid any mind to her surroundings, which is why it came as no particular shock when she eventually bumped into someone else. Alice clutched her now-bruised nose, before looking up at the (un)lucky person she had run into.<p>

"Hey, be caref-" The person she had bumped into began. "...Robinson?" Alice immediately recognized the voice as Victoria's. The weapon took a step back, making a mental note to pay more attention next time.

"Mmm. My apologies, Miss Brandt. It won't happen again, I swear-" She tried to sidestep around her, but Victoria wouldn't have any of it.

"Hold up a second, short stuff." She began, somewhat condescendingly. "Where's Dart? Or has your solo career finally taken off?"

Alice scoffed. "Very funny. And _no_, I'm not on a mission. I was planning on visiting the Holy Sword Excalibur." The redhead raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

"Holy Sword? You mean that fairy tale some old guy wrote up in the 1930s?"

Alice shot up, pulling Victoria's collar so they were eye-level. "It isn't a fairy tale! He's real, and I'll prove it." Victoria took a step back, caught off-guard by her sudden outburst. Alice brushed past her, moving ahead. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Hey!" Victoria called out. "It's against school regulations to go alone."

"Your point being?" Alice came to a brief halt.

"My point being, is that I'm coming with, whether you like it or not! We'll see if this Holy Sword matches up with your description." Victoria said, playfully slinging an arm around the smaller girl's shoulder. Alice pouted, continuing on her way to the teleporter.

* * *

><p>"Nothing relieves the spirit more than some good old frozen pizza." Dart said, propping the frozen dish into the microwave that came with the apartment. It appeared to be built by someone at the academy, as it bore Lord Death's unmistakable insignia. After setting the time, he pressed the start button, anxious to eat. He didn't drag himself to the grocery store for nothing. No reaction; perhaps he didn't press hard enough? He pressed it again, this time applying more pressure with his thumb. Same result. Growing desperate, he slammed his pointer finger on the button over and over until the digit nearly split. Yep. It was busted. Dart felt like collapsing on the table. He moaned despairingly. "Why have you forsaken me, microwave?" He was just about to give in, until he noticed the phone book on the table. Just then, a rare stroke of brilliance occurred to Dart.<p>

"...Hi, DWMA? Nice day, isn't it? I have one of your products here, and I think it might be, well, kinda on the fritz…"

* * *

><p>Victoria stood at the base of the waterfall with her arms crossed. At the top of the waterfall lied a cave, presumably where Excalibur slept. "Sure this is the place?" She asked. Alice gave her a look, and she nodded. "Sounds like a yes to me."<p>

"What's your plan for getting up there?" Alice said, wondering how they could possibly breach the raging water.

"Well, there's a practical hard way, or a painful easy way."

"I'm listening." Alice said, a little scared to hear her response. "Easy one first."

"You mind being thrown?" Victoria inquired.

"Hard one." Alice wasted no time in shooting her suggestion down.

"If you say so." Victoria moved directly in front of Alice with her back to her. "Hop on my back."

"What?" Alice grimaced. "Last I checked, Victoria, I'm well over the age of five."

Victoria's head whipped around. "Do you wanna get up there or not?" Alice sighed, and reluctantly gave in, hitching onto Victoria's backside, wrapping her legs around the redhead's stomach. The meister took a few steps back, and jumped onto the cliff face. She inched her way up while Alice piggybacked, eventually reaching the top. They propped themselves up awkwardly and got a grip of their surroundings.

"Man, Excalibur's place sure is…" Victoria muttered, trying to find the right word. The cave looked it could collapse upon itself at any moment, with stalactites dangling like threads.

"Humble, isn't it?" Alice said, finishing her sentence. "Doesn't it just blow you away how someone like him could leave such a quiet and secluded life?"

"That's one way of putting it." They ventured further into the cave, their shoes pattering with each step. A lime-colored light glimmered ahead of them, causing Victoria to squint. Alice went wide-eyed, pursuing the light with silent excitement.

* * *

><p>Dart glanced up at the Death City brand clock, while slouched over on the Death City brand table, waiting for Death City tech support to arrive at the Death City brand door. <em>Lord Death's got the whole world on a thumbtack, doesn't he?<em> Dart thought, not that he was complaining. The idea of having that much power intrigued him, but also worried him. How would he supply the needs of all his devoted followers? Not to mention he would gain some enemies as well. Enemies who would poke holes in him, put him on trial, decapitate him. Dart blinked, horrified at the grim nature of his own mind. _Let's not, okay?_ Dart thought, addressing his brain. Before he could tickle himself with power fantasies any further, a loud crash split his concentration.

"Tech support here!" A male voice announced itself, kicking the door off its hinges. Dart squealed, not expecting the sudden intruder, but also mourning the loss of his precious door. The tech support froze, seeming just as panicked as Dart. Taking note of Dart's discomfort, the tech support guy tried to ease the situation by mending the door back in place with the aid of the toolkit he had brought with him. "Eh...Sorry about that. I've always wanted to do a dramatic entrance." Dart stood speechless, utterly dumbfounded by the events that occurred in the span of mere seconds. "By the way, you're the one who wanted the repairs, right? Otherwise this would be awkward. More awkard. Than it already is." He rambled on, still fixing the door into place. There was a certain dissonance in the man's general presentation that reminded Dart of the old saying: 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.'. He had the build of an olympian, but the demeanor of a scrawny sixteen year old working a part-time job.

Dart cleared his throat, shuffling around in place. "Yeah. I'm the guy. My microwave isn't really working-"

The repairman paused. "Isn't working? That's impossible." He insisted, rhythmically screwing the bolts into place.

Dart's eyebrows curled upwards, and he glanced left and right. "Can you at least check it? I mean, it's just a li'l microwave. Can't bring you too much trouble, right?" The man dismissed his requests with the wave of the hand, silencing him.

"No, no, that's not what I mean." The tech support stood up and turned around, revealing his face with eyes that looked barely open. "I know because I built them."

* * *

><p>Alice wiped the sweat from her brow, beholding the Holy Sword from just a few feet away. Although it was just a few seconds, those breathtaking moments in which she marveled at the blade's craftsmanship felt like hours. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. Even while reaching for a notepad from her backpack, she kept her gaze fixated on the magnificent thing. She scrambled for her pencil in her pocket, eager to take notes. From there, Alice's head bobbed up and down, alternating between scribbling notes and observing the Holy Sword.<p>

_It's marvelous. I can't even begin to describe the sheer effort put behind the creation of this wonderful creature. The gold still glistens with a bright sheen, despite it being hundreds of years. The hilt is inscribed with words of prayer. I presume only the bravest and most diligent meisters could possibly wield _Before she could finish the sentence, Alice heard the sound of metal grating against stone.

"Mein gott, the design on this thing sucks." Victoria said, nonchalantly drawing the sword from the stone. Alice's eyes widened in horror and let out a barely audible shriek. "Gold breaks easily. That's why it's probably shoved down here; so it doesn't split in half the second you swing it too hard." Alice helplessly leapt for the sword, but Victoria turned around, oblivious to her discomfort.

"But it's magic-" Alice interjected, while Victoria paced back and forth with the blade.

"Magic? If I knew how to forge and use magic, I know I wouldn't make a sword. Why not something more practical like a death ray?" Victoria persisted in showing the least care possible for the sword, swinging it around like a toy.

Alice could take it no longer. She threw herself on the older girl, attempting to wrestle the blade out of her hands. "You don't know what you're doing! Give it to me!"

"Oi! Keep your hands off unless you want a detention!" Victoria tried her best to keep the sword in her possession without hurting Alice, but evidently, this was going to be difficult. While the struggle raged on, the sword began to emit a golden light. Alice and Victoria froze, wondering what was to come for them.

* * *

><p>"You what?" Dart gave the repairman a skeptical look. His claim seemed rather far-fetched, to say the least.<p>

"Yep. There's twenty-five student apartments, twenty rooms in each, so that's about...Five-hundred microwaves." The repairman casually counted off on his fingers as he spoke.

Dart took in a slow breath. "So you're saying that you…"

"Yes." The repairman interrupted.

"...And you alone…"

"That's right."

"...Single-handedly built five-hundred microwaves." Dart finished, half-tempted to ask him if he was being lied to.

"Well, that might be a bit of a stretch." He shrugged. Dart let out the large breath he had been holding in, feeling a sense of clarity.

"Whew! That's a relief. I thought you were saying that you made all those on your own." He leaned back on the counter, almost forgetting about the microwave.

"Oh, no, I did." Dart's head recoiled so fast his head slammed against a cabinet, causing a rumble that reverberated throughout the entire kitchen. "Took me about two months. Once you've had eighteen cups of coffee in one sitting, sleep becomes your last priority."

"No way!" Dart cooed. "Just...Who are you, anyway?" The tech support raised an eyebrow, looking mildly surprised.

"Me?" He asked, despite there being no one else in the room. He smiled earnestly. "Well I'm glad you asked!" He flexed his muscles, making an effort to puff his chest out. "_I'm Joe Buttataki! Tech_...Support." His bravado faltered as quickly as it came, probably trying to keep his ego in check.

"That's so cool!"

"I know, right?!" Joe said, propelling right back into childlike excitement.

"Yeah! ...My microwave is still broken." Dart admitted, surprised at how sidetracked he had gotten.

Joe paused, and sighed. "Oh yeah. That." Lumbering over to the kitchen, he pulled the microwave out of it's slot and examined it closely. Dart explained the whole front-and-back of his predicament, and he listened, nodding as he spoke. It didn't take long to find the source of the problem; faulty wiring, laden underneath piles and piles of cords. Dart sat on the kitchen island idly, twiddling his fingers.

"Say, do I really need to be here? This seems like a pretty easy fix, if I do say so myself. Don't tell me you actually live alone…" Joe said, finally talking after a long bout of fiddling with the microwave.

"Heh, about that…" Dart scratched his head, faking a laugh. "Last I saw her, my partner Alice said she was off to find the Holy Sword. And then I got bored and bought a pizza."

"So you spent money provided to you by the academy and bought junk food you intended to eat alone on a Monday?"

"That's the long and short of it." Dart said, finding nothing wrong with any of what Joe had relayed to him.

"That's relatable." He shrugged, continuing to tinker with the microwave. All of a sudden, his brow furrowed, and his he glanced up at Dart. "Did you say 'Holy Sword'?"

"Yeah. Is it like a tourist attraction or something?" Dart asked innocently. Joe grimaced, shaking his head.

"It's best you don't know…" Joe looked back down at the microwave. Dart gazed out the window and crossed his fingers, hoping it was nothing serious.

* * *

><p>A golden light eclipsed the cave, illuminating everything. Alice and Victoria shut their eyes, blinded by the spectacle. When the light seemed to dim, Alice immediately opened her eyes. Excalibur was nowhere in sight. "Where…" She mumbled.<p>

"Fool!" Out of nowhere, Alice was struck on the nose by a wooden object. Directly in front of her stood some kind of fantasy creature pointing a cane at her. It had a long, beak-like face, with the eyes positioned on opposite ends of it's face. It was a pale little thing, dressed entirely in white, as well as its skin. And the strangest thing? It wore a top hat, and a buttoned shirt, yet no pants.

Alice tilted the cane out of the way of her face and spoke timidly in her confusion. "Ex-Excuse me." She began. "I'm looking to see the Holy Sword Excalibur." The creature thumped the cane on the ground and huffed.

"If you're looking for Excalibur, look no further!" He declared proudly. Alice mouthed words, but none of them formed a coherent sentence. She could hear Victoria muffling giggles behind her. They grew louder, until she broke out into full-on laughter.

"_Yeah! _That's-That's the real Holy Sword right there Alice, in the flesh! Proved me wrong, didn't ya?!" She said, in-between laughs. Alice picked herself up, backing away from the thing that claimed to be Excalibur. "Savior of kingdoms and role model to weapons everywhere!" She let out an exasperated breath, plopping over on the ground.

"No, really. I'm searching for Excalib-"

"_FOOL!_" Again with the cane. Alice recoiled, nearly fumbling into Victoria. "The Holy Sword only repeats himself on _Tuesdays. _That would be provision number 936 out of 1000, if you're keeping track. Until then, you must keep a strained ear in my presence." At this point, Victoria was wiping genuine tears from her eyes, pounding her fist on the ground heartily. Alice felt her stomach rise in utter revulsion.

_One...Thousand? _Alice held her tongue momentarily. Taking in a deep sigh, she ran her hands down her face, and exhaled. "Okay. You're Excalibur. Pardon my ignorance." Although it strained her to say it, she decided to humor him and play along, if only to get it over with.

The Holy Sword stood silent for a second before speaking from his nonexistent mouth. "Hmm. What is it that you want, child? Fame? Fortune? Fame? Because I assure you, you will have _none of it._ My legacy as a professional film critic will not be undermined!"

"...Come again-"

"Allow me to elaborate." He began, lounging on his cane. He looked as if he was about to buckle down for a long story.

"No, keep going." Victoria put an arm in front of Alice, listening intently.

* * *

><p>My legend began in the twelfth century. It was a dangerous time, that twelfth century. You see, murder had just been invented, but that wasn't the dangerous part. No, no, the danger lied in free spirits like myself.<p>

("He's losing me.")

("Shush! Maybe we can get..._Something_ worthwhile out of this tale.")

_FOOLS! _As I was saying, it was dangerous. All the guys were too intimidated to talk to me, and the girls thought I was out of their league. There was the chess club, but I had _standards._ You can understand how this made for a lonely existence.

("Oh, poor Excalibur. He was too cool for school.")

("...Didn't he say this was during the twelfth century?")

But despite my pain, I tried to be a good kid. I stayed in my lane, doing my normal things: finishing my homework on time, giving nerds swirlies, just generally being a proper citizen. Yes, high school was an unorthodox experience. Not a bad one, mind you. The teachers appreciated my genius, and I got straight A's in every class. But, after a certain point, I decided that high school was 'lame' and dropped out.

("S-Surely you're not serious!")

Of course I am! It was a terrible school! And it's 'Excalibur', not Shirley. In the aftermath of my dropout, I became a hoodlum, always blending in with the wrong types, you see. I was a restless kid. So I made a bold decision; I joined the guitar club. Finally, a group I could identify with. We were all outcasts, the lot of us. We had Jimmy on bass, Fred on drums, Mike on the xylophone, and I was lead singer. I can hit you with a quick demo if you'd like.

("_Doooo itttt."_)

("Not necessary. How about we talk about King Arthur and Camelot instead?")

Then the battle of the bands came. It was us versus the rival bands. The week before, we practiced for hours on end, living off energy drinks and the incentive of a cash prize. On the night before, my fingers were aching from the strain of playing the drums for so long.

("Pardon, but didn't you say you were the lead singe-")

FOOL! Before I was so rudely interrupted, the day of the battle of the bands came. We were set to be the last ones to play, and the suspense was high. After several hours of arduous waiting, we took the stage. Unlike the other posers, we played an original song, titled "Excalibur". We played our hearts out that evening, we did. It was close, but we came in fourth.

("Out of…?")

Four. But through a series of completely legitimate chain of events, we borrowed the prize money for an extended period of time.

("Alice, I'm beginning to think he's a bad influence on you.")

_Excuse me_, I am still the center of attention here. Anyway, with wads of cash surrounding me, I started living the high life. Even now, I can still recall my first sip of wine; so dry and understated, yet still endearing. But good things don't last forever, you know. I believe it was roughly a month after the battle of the bands; I was reclining on a chair by the poolside by my lonesome. Then, suddenly, by my front gate, a man with a gun appeared.

("...")

("...")

("...And?")

What?

("The shooter! Did-did you do anything?")

That's where the story ends.

("Well, way to leave us on a cliffhanger!")

_Tsk! _Youth these days, don't even know what a proper story is. But, I will thank you for partaking in listening to my little tale...

* * *

><p>After having been talking about things completely unrelated to his legend for several minutes, Excalibur shut up. "Young ones! Are you ready to experience what it means to be a hero?" He said dramatically. A shining light burst from Excalibur, and his figure changed into his more-beloved sword form. Alice felt that same feeling of enchantment from before sweep her up again, as she shook with glee. Excalibur's sword form levitated in the air, and from nothing it summoned shining yellow wings to accompany it. Alice cupped her hands over her mouth in absolute awe.<p>

"All this-and more-can be yours _for a_ _few small tasks_!" He announced in his booming voice, saying his last few words in a more subdued tone, as if to hide something. Alice outstretched her arms, feeling like the blade was just inches away.

"_Yes! How could I have ever doubted you?!" _She cried with tears in her eyes.

"For victory," Excalibur began.

"_and glory!_" Alice finished. She wasted no time in grabbing the hilt of the blade. When she grasped it, she felt utterly invincible. Yes, with Excalibur, nothing would stand a chance in her way. Crime would be at an all-time low; a new era-a turning point for humanity! It all seemed so right-

Suddenly, Alice felt something jerk her by the back of her shirt. "Stop." Victoria muttered. Alice felt her grasp on Excalibur slip, and suddenly he was lying back on the ground, still in sword form.

"Huh? What's going on?" Excalibur asked obliviously.

"Wait!" Alice protested, flailing her arm like a child reaching across a table for something. "I still have to-"

"Alice, for future reference, if a strange old man with a cane comes up to you, waves a cane in your face, dumps his life story on you, and then asks you to spend the rest of his life with him, the proper response is to punch him." Victoria said, calmly dragging the kicking-and-screaming Alice away from the Holy Sword.

* * *

><p>"Hold on, I almost got it." Joe said, carefully doing some handiwork with the wires. Dart held the microwave in place as he worked, peeking his head around occasionally to get a glance at his progress. "Here we go…" With the slowest of movements, he slowly brought two wires together while Dart watched in suspense. When they touched, a small spark flew out from between the two.<p>

"That's good, right?" Dart inquired. The stray spark landed on another wire, causing it to catch fire.

"_WRONG WIRE! WRONG WIRE!" _Joe screamed. Both of them immediately dropped the microwave in a panic, scrambling around for something to put it out. Dart yanked it out of its socket, and tossed it to Joe.

"I don't know what to do with it!" Joe said, throwing it back to Dart. The struggle quickly devolved into a lethal version of hot potato.

"Um-!" Acting purely out of instinct, Dart threw the burning microwave onto the floor. Unfortunately for him, that left him with _two _pieces of burning microwave. Thinking fast, Joe got the sink running.

"Toss it to me!" He ordered. Dart picked up one half of the microwave and chucked it to him. Joe caught it, and dunked it in the sink, shocking himself in the process while the boy watched in terror.

"Joe! Are you okay?!" Dart screamed. Joe put up a hand in reassurance, panting heavily.

"I'm alright, just...pass me...the microwave…" Buttataki said. Dart clutched the burning microwave piece tightly.

"I won't do it!" He protested.

"Just remember me when I'm gone!" Joe said, standing with open arms, ready to catch. Dart hesitated, wiped a tear from his eye, and tossed the rest of the microwave to Joe. With a mighty cry, Joe shoved the burning hunk of metal and plastic into the sink. Blue sparks lit up the water as he yelled out. For entire seconds, Joe kept his hands into the electrocuted sink, until he knew for sure the fire was completely put out. With one final puff of smoke, the microwave gave in.

"Woo!" Dart whooped, throwing his arms up in victory. Despite their victory, Joe seemed rather deflated.

"I just can't believe...One of my microwaves…" He murmured, still breathing heavily from the shock.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better Mister Buttataki, I can always use my microwave-"

"No! I'll make you a new microwave." Joe poked Dart in the chest, his nostrils flaring. "_And it will be the best damn microwave you have ever seen._" Dart backed up, happy but slightly disturbed at his enthusiasm.

Just as a calm began to settle in, the door opened up. It was Alice, who looked as if part of her had died. Barely taking note of her surroundings, she walked to her room.

"Alice, you're back! Didja find that magic sword you were looking for?" Dart asked. Alice stopped, turned, and looked Dart dead in the eyes.

"No." She replied bluntly.

**AN: Hey, back again. So, this was my first shot at a comedy-oriented chapter. What did you guys think? As always, I'm open to criticism, comments, and questions.**


	14. Socialize, dammit! The academy's finest?

Nicolette Andreu sourly swiped downward on her phone's screen, scrolling through social media, 'liking' things she truly had no interest in, while occasionally glancing at the battery, dwindling lower as the minutes went by. Abruptly, the screen went black, and she angrily stuffed it back into her jacket pocket. She banged her fist on her desk, making note not to harm her freshly-painted nails in the process. "When are the new guys going to get here? They've been keeping us waiting for what-two, three weeks now?" She said, throwing a glance to the wall huffily.

Her sister, Nika, took a quick look up from her book, regarding her sibling. "Can't you just wait? I read somewhere that elder siblings are supposed to have _patience._"

Nicolette scowled. _God, she's smug. _"Tch. What-ever." Reluctantly, she shut up, knowing her sister would likely go on another one of her 'weapons have a responsibility' rants.

"Eh...Well, ah, your beloved sister may have a point, Nika." A smooth, chilled voice spoke up; Joaquin Vivas's, no doubt. He flipped his wrist around a couple times and furrowed his brow, looking for the right words. "It's just been... Too long, you know?"

"Ergh, not you too, Joaquin." Nika grumbled. Her sister threw her a distinctive 'ha-ha, I'm right and you're not' look, causing her to aggressively bury her nose back into her book.

"What do you suppose we do if they aren't properly trained?" From the back, Cole Bellamy interjected. His voice was firm, with no hint of malice or glee. Joaquin sighed, brushing off the second-hand embarrassment from his weapon with a sheepish shrug. "As much as I respect her, we all know Victoria is prone to making rash decisions. " He went on, making extra sure to not sound disrespectful. "We may have to do some remedial lessons with them, if necessary."

"Sorry to ask, but could you guys keep it down over there? I'm trying to cram this issue in before class starts." Everyone's eyes diverted to Georgina Roberts, who was sitting with an enormous stack of comic books on her desk, currently reading _Justice Man + Woman: The Heroic Quest_. One healthy hand held the book steady, while the other, jet-black and veiny, flipped the page. Ever since her Deadflix subscription had been forcibly canceled by the DWMA, she had fallen on hard times, forced to take her comic books with her from outside the confines of her apartment to make up for lost time.

Georgina's right arm rippled, forming a sharp-toothed mouth on the top of her hand. "_Man, _it sure would suck if four new rookies turned up dead." Georgina's right arm cackled, eliciting dirty looks from everyone. "C'mon, it was a JOKE! Well, it doesn't have to be. We could just-" He went on further, stopped only when he was interrupted by not one person, but five.

"_Shut up, Malphas._" Nobody had any qualms about silencing the demon, especially not Georgina.

* * *

><p>"Partner! Are you not as equally as excited as I about this?" Cassiel's excitement had officially gone through the roof the day they were scheduled to go into their EAT classes. The idea of adding more friends to her circle simply elated her.<p>

"Yeah. It's gonna be great, Cass. Fan-frickin-tastic." Julian said tiredly. He had been neutral on his class transferal until he realized it would affect his sleeping schedule. _'Sleep early, rise early' , they said, _Julian thought, imagining Lord Death's shrill, g-rated voice. _'It'll sharpen your instincts', they said. _Perhaps it was just morning crankiness speaking, but going to bed at 8:30 and waking up at 6:00 did _not _make him feel like the supposed disciplined weapon he was expected to be. It made him feel like a kindergartener.

Cassiel threw Julian a curious look. "I take it you don't agree?" Julian deflected her comment with his palm, grumbling something.

"Cass, I'm not gonna get into the 'stistics of this, but let's just say you and I probably don't associate with the same crowd." He explained, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Dart and Alice are both our friends, are they not?" She asked. Julian's eyebrows shot up; if he could kick himself in the brain, he would do it right then.

Julian flipped his hair back, knocking a few dangling hairs out of his face. "They don't count! I'm talkin' like _actual _friends. Friends that ya'd go to the shooting range with, catch a movie, you dig." Cassiel still didn't seem satisfied with his explanation, still looking at him with a puzzled stare.

"I was never aware you had friends outside of them. I'd love to be formally introduced, you know!"

"Well, _had._ Believe it or not, there was a day when I wasn't the butt of every damn joke."

Cassiel's head perked up. "What do you mean by that?"

"It was before…" Julian's voice trailed off, hesitating. Making matters worse, Cassiel still seemed fully curious, listening intently. "Before...Y'know…" He explained sloppily, Cass's eyes still on him. It was more than a little hard to say 'You're the reason I have no friends.' without sounding like a complete ass.

"I believe we've arrived!" Thankfully, Cassiel's mind seemed to take after other things as she ran ahead towards one of the rooms. Julian followed, yelling and calling out for her as she sped ahead. Julian made his entrance discretely, deliberately throwing a stony gaze in the opposite direction of the class. Cassiel was far more open in her demeanor; not even bothering to hide the fact that she could float.

"Hey, Julian!" Not far behind him, a familiar voice called out. Julian winced, already knowing who it was without having to look. Alice and Dart strided in, too far locked into a conversation amongst themselves to care about their surroundings.

"...I'm telling you, getting a new microwave is _not _that big of a deal!" Alice said, looking about ready to slap Dart across the face.

"But it even has a coffee maker! Name another microwave that has that, Alice! Name one!" Dart tried to argue back, but Alice was having none of it. They hardly seemed concerned about the students eyeing them as they made their way into the long desks, bickering all the way. He made his way to the rising, half-circled tables that made up the desks.

_Lucky bastards. If only I could give less of a sh-_ Julian's thoughts were cut off by a painful sting in his right foot. His heart skipped a beat when he realized someone was right in front of him, scowling, digging her heel into his shoe. "Can I...Help you?" Julian said through his teeth, forcibly hiding any signs of pain in his voice. If winter's coldness was personified, this girl was it. She had silvery short hair, eyes hidden behind designer's shades, and covered head-to-toe in black, expensive-looking clothes. She seemed fully aware of where she was stepping, not moving where she stood.

"Yeah. Like, you can." She replied, twisting her heel in. "I don't know-or care, why you're here. You wanna know why I'm stopping you?" She asked, applying a fresh layer of chapstick to her lips.

"_YES?_" Julian winced. Attempting to wriggle his way out only made things worse. She took her time spreading the chapstick as slowly as possible before speaking.

"Your partner. Like, where _are _they? Don't tell me they ditched." She said, idly scanning the room while Julian's face began to turn purple.

"P-Pink hair, blue robes, floats around a lot-!" He choked out. Her eyebrows briefly raised whilst looking around, probably having spotted her.

"That's her, huh?" She asked, staring at her in mock-curiosity. "Shouldn't you be with her?"

"What...Do you mean?" At this point, Julian thought the stilletto would break from the pressure being put on his shoe. It didn't.

She looked at Julian as if he said the moon was made of cheese. "Ever thought about her? She could be mixing in with the wrong crowds, y'know? Stoners. Dropouts. Hipsters." She went on, in horrifying detail. "Next time, if I was you, (which, I wouldn't be, ew), I'd pay a little more attention to your surround-"

"Hey." Someone else said, sounding suspiciously similar to the girl stepping on Julian's foot. The third party walked up to the girl, and gave her a shove on the shoulder. She was a bit shorter than the girl, but there was a resemblance. She had slightly ruffled snowy-white hair, and cherry-red eyes that looked non-threatening, but firm. "Really, Nicolette? Bullying new students on their first day?" She said disapprovingly. The girl hurriedly took her shoe off Julian's foot, eliciting a loud-but-unnoticed breath from him.

The girl took a step back, putting a hand on her chest in outrage. "B-Bullying? Come on! I didn't-you-_ugh!_" She threw her arms up, too frustrated to talk, heading back up the stairs to her seat.

"No worries, Nicolette! You can charge your phone in detention, my beloved!" A male student butted in with a grain of dry sarcasm, gathering snickers from nearly all who heard. Emphasis on nearly. The girl (_Nicolette, right? _Julian thought.) wasn't very shy with her hand, and although she said nothing, the message was clear. The crowd, now caught up in their little show, gasped for added effect.

"Ergh. Sorry about her. My idiot older sister's kind of a mess." Nicolette's sister said to Julian. "I'm sorry you got bullied on your first day, if that makes you feel any-"

"I wasn't-" Julian stopped her in the middle of her sentence. "It was nothing. Just shootin' the shit, that's all." He said, although the burning pain in his foot protested otherwise. Nicolette's sister gave him a semi-confused, semi-amused look.

"Yeah. Sure." She said, in a manner that almost seemed passive-aggressive. Julian backed off a bit as she walked away, staring bemusedly at Nicolette's sister.

* * *

><p>Cassiel wandered around the classroom curiously, searching for new potential friends, which was just about everyone. Often, she would walk up behind a student, poke them lightly on the shoulder and begin with "Hello friend, my name is Cassiel-" but nobody bothered to turn around before she could finish. The process repeated for a good five minutes, before she dejectedly gave up, taking a seat. Did the humans consider her different, she wondered? The only notable difference she could discern from her and the others was her ability to fly, but that was simply just too fun to give up. She looked at the girl next to her: neck-length hair, a loose-fitting sweater, and a maroon notebook that was just <em>adorable.<em> The girl realized that Cass was staring, and quickly made a hasty effort to cover up her right arm with her sleeve, which Cassiel had just now noticed how odd it was compared to other humans': it was a pitch-black, with red pulsing veins trailing down from the shoulder. Though, for all she knew, it could be a normal trait in humans, so she didn't question it.

"Wait, sorry, I can explain!" She said flusteredly. Cassiel winced at something that sounded like bones snapping apart, as the girl's arm began to bubble, and then burst. She opened her eyes to see a rather strange sight: a person with blood-red skin and fiery hair emerged from the arm of the girl. His legs were gone, leaving only his upper body attached to the girl's strange arm.

"_BY THE BLOOD OF A THOUSAND VIRGINS, I HAVE RISEN UPON THIS EARTH ONCE MORE!_" The demonic person roared, shaking the whole room with his vibrating voice. Cassiel flinched, but the girl only looked mildly annoyed, if a bit embarrassed. "_WHO IS THIS THAT STANDS BEFORE ME-_" In the middle of his sentence, the demon stopped, coughing wildly in a far more human sounding voice. "Gah, I'm too tired to do the voice. Who's this clown?" He asked, sounding more like an older teenager now.

"I don't _know_, Malphas. Maybe if I had gotten a moment to introduce myself, I could have explained there was a dem..on...in...my...arm." Her speech began to slow down and quiet as her eyes fixated on the still-shocked Cassiel. "Hi there, um, listen, I'm uh, really sorry that you had to w-witness..._that. _My name's Georgina Roberts, and-"

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Georgina!" Cassiel instinctively said, shaking Georgina's hand quickly, to her surprise. It was the first time all day someone new had actually addressed her, so naturally she was a little eager. "And, ah, y-you too, Malphas, was it?" She said, shaking the demon's hand more reluctantly. "My name-at-birth is Cassiel, but you may address me as 'Cass' in informal scenarios!" Cassiel bobbed up and down as she spoke, clutching her hands together excitedly. Georgina looked somewhat overwhelmed from her speedy introduction, but reciprocated her gratitude nonetheless with a warm smile.

Malphas stared at the two with a disapproving look. "You just had to pick the _weird one _didn't you? I mean, come on, kid, you have options! Look around, don't make such a hasty decision!" He went on. As he spoke, Georgina nonchalantly reached for a vial in her pocket, pulling out a container of what looked to be sparkling water. She poured the vial on Malphas, and he shrieked, slowly melting back into her arm.

"_Sooooooooo, _uh, do you like comics?" Georgina asked tentatively, slowly turning back towards Cassiel.

* * *

><p>Dart watched as Cassiel and Julian socialized to varying degrees of success with a twinge of jealousy. <em>Man, they really know how to socialize and everything. How do they do it?<em> He wondered. It had occurred to him that he had never made friends in what he considered a normal way; getting in a duel and having your door kicked in weren't exactly common occurrences. Still, if he made friends once, he could do it again. His eyes gravitated towards a group congregating at in front of the blackboard. _So cool..._Dart thought, feeling a rising sense of courage in his gut. He burst into a confident stride, walking over to the group. He blinked and furrowed his brow; his brain scratching at old memories in an uncomfortable sort of déjà vu. _I feel like this has happened already..._Just as Dart's stride broke, a tap on the back of the head jolted him to his senses. He turned around, only to find a bent paper airplane on the floor.

"Hey! New one!" From the same direction as the paper airplane, someone shouted at Dart. Dart looked up, and then left and right, just to make sure it was indeed him being addressed. He looked back up at the student and hesitantly pointed to himself as one final clarification. The student cupped his hands and shouted, with an inviting grin on his face. A group of students, mostly male, were gathered 'round him. "Yes, you! Up here! Now please!"

"If you say so!" Dart didn't so much as think as he sprinted from the classroom floor to the ascending rows of desks. Making new friends was one thing. _Receiving_ new friends, however, that was on a whole different tier. The one in the center-the one who had called Dart up, was dressed rather sharply. He looked like one of those kids whose parents were members at the country club; wearing a patterned Hawaiian shirt and ironed red pants, with slicked black hair and spotless tan skin. He appeared to be a tad older than Dart, maybe about two years or so judging by his height and build. His friends were dressed similarly, save for the one beside him, who was wearing of all things, _a suit of armor_, covering his entire body from the head down. Fitting, being the odd one out, the armor-wearing one didn't seem to be in the same jovial sort of mood as the others.

"Tell us about yourself, new guy." He said, his legs placed casually on the desk.

"Just...Just anything?" Dart inquired.

The boy looked around at his friends and gave Dart a shrug. "Does this look like a threatening environment?" He asked. Dart loosened up a bit, or at least tried to look as if he did.

"A-Alright. I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name's Dart, Dart D. Cay, actually." He began, a little nervously. He wondered if there was some ulterior motive about these guys, but decided to keep quiet, especially considering her was largely outnumbered.

"_Aye._" The surrounding boys all gave a solemn nod in response.

"Dart, eh? Weird name, but I like it. It's unique, you know? Where do you call home, new guy? Or should I say Dart?" He continued. Having grown accustomed to the new and strange atmosphere, Dart no longer felt any reluctance to speak.

"Well, yeah, sweet home Arizona!" Dart said proudly. Although his words rang true in his mind, he noted he never really did experience Arizona to the fullest, since he scarcely ventured outside of town with his mother.

"_Aye!_" The observers pumped their fists in the air with a resound chant.

Dart, now relaxed, was leaning against the higher desk behind him. "And that's about all you need to know, really." He concluded. To his shock, there was a near-immediate outburst of boos and jeers in the back, demanding to know more. The boy looked at Dart with a slightly exasperated smile, giving him a look of sympathy.

"_Enough!_" A deafening metal crash shut up everyone at once, making everyone turn their attention to the one wearing armor. "I won't tolerate bullying in this classroom, especially to one of the new students. I'm prepared to write individual referrals for each and every one of you if this goes on any further." Despite looking quite intimidating, he didn't sound like someone who raised his voice much. The silence didn't last long, with the group swiftly transitioning back into banter and talking. In the following few moments, the armored boy was pelted with crumpled pieces of paper, each one bouncing off silently as he looked as if he was trying his damned best to turn the other cheek. The one in armor groaned, glaring at the boy in the center in annoyance. "Joaquin, do you ever intend on trying to control them?" He asked, fixing up his brown hair, ruffled by the various things thrown at him.

"Ehh, sorry, Cole. They got a mind of their own. I could buy a leash, if you're paying." The boy, Joaquin, said jokingly.

Cole, the armored one, shook his head in disapproval. "Save your apologies for the new one." He said, pointing at Dart.

"Right…" He said, losing the edge to his voice. He turned around, facing Dart with his hands clasped together. "Yes, yes, sorry about those guys. They're crazy, you know? Don't worry about them, they're just...j-just…" Joaquin paused, noticeably fumbling over his words as he went on further. His vision also seemed to be focusing on something beyond Dart, his eyes widening the same way a child would upon walking into the wrong movie theater. "A-ah…" His lips quivered as Dart felt a shadow loom over him. He shut his lips tight out of fear of the unknown, and Joaquin just...stared.

"Dart, I'm headed to the library. If the teacher asks, it was an emergency. Understood?" From behind, Dart heard the deadpan, British voice that he had grown so accustomed to in the past few months. His face turned a little red, realizing how irrational his fear was in hindsight.

"Oh, hey Alice! Scared me for a second there. Yeah, I think I can cover for you." He assured, flicking the back of his ear. He turned to Joaquin with a relieved look; if it wasn't for his embarrassment, Dart would be laughing at himself right then. "Don't worry, it's all good. C-can you believe it? It's just Alice!" He chuckled awkwardly, glancing away from the group. But when he looked back at Joaquin, he noticed he wasn't smiling, let alone laughing.

Alice stared curiously down at Joaquin, who looked on the verge of a panic attack. "Is there something wrong with him?" She said, looking at Dart. Joaquin gasped, backing away from the two on his hind legs. Cole picked up the shaken Joaquin by the shoulders and placed him directly behind his back. He took a resigned breath, and his right arm shot up, saluting Dart and Alice despite the fact that they were both younger and lesser in experience compared to them.

"I apologize on behalf of my meister. As his weapon, I can promise you, he's a superb fighter! However, in the presence of womankind, mostly new ones, he tends to falter. Let this in no way hinder your personal opinion of him, because as someone who has worked with him for a long time, he is a very charismatic person and…" Cole went on further, unknowingly losing the interest of Dart and Alice along the way.

"Man, he's so formal. Bet ma would kill to have a son like that..." Dart mused aloud.

"What good is a suit of armor if he's the weapon, anyway?" Alice said judgingly, put her index finger to her lip.

"Maybe he just really likes medieval times? Y'know, jousting and knights and magic and all that." Dart suggested while Cole continued to monologue.

"I suppose he likes the bubonic plague as well then, hm?" Alice remarked.

Dart's eyes widened a little in shock. "Alice, you shouldn't joke about that sorta stuff. Back home, they call that kind of talk bad karma. Besides, I mean, didn't a blajillion people die?"

"Ah, yes, let's respect the dead by inventing fake numbers. Bless you for showing the proper maturity on such a grave subject matter." Alice said, giving him a mocking golf clap.

"Now that's just insulting!" He shot back.

"Insulting? You wouldn't know insulting if it made a disparaging comment about your mother!" From there, the conversation spiraled downward into a back-and-forth tirade of flustered insults and semi-witty retorts. Cole still remained on the far end of the conversation, unaware of the separate one occurring right in front of him. When the morning bell rang, their throats were dried up from talking so quickly. Reluctantly putting aside their squabble, Dart and Alice took a seat, with Dart sitting next to Cole to keep Alice as far as away as possible from the already nervous Joaquin.

A minute in. No teacher in sight. Nobody in the room looked to care in the slightest. However, there seemed to be a lot of commotion coming from the hallway. Noises that sounded like metal clashing and grunting gradually closer until it was coming from directly outside the room. It all came to a thrilling climax the moment someone came crashing into the room, flying into a desk. "Hey, that's-!" Dart recognized the figure near-instantly. That camo gear, neck-length hair, the tattoos trailing up and down his arm-all unmistakable traits. Oh yeah, and blue skin. You don't see too many people with that. "Mister Barrett!" He cried out, halfway tempted to jump out of his seat. Sid quickly picked himself up, pulling out a large, one-handed hunting knife and facing the door towards his unknown assailant. Like lightning, another figure rushed into the room, reaching Sid's position faster than the beat of a hummingbird's wing. The figure's arms jolted diagonally, and a sharp echo pierced the room. The two stood against each other, locked in a bloody stalemate. Now, Dart could get a closer look at things.

The assailant held a thin katana in his hands with a tough grip, struggling against Sid with determination in his eyes. He looked just about as tall as Sid, though a bit more lean. "C'mon Mister Barrett! I don't know who you're fighting, but I know for sure you can win!" Dart screamed encouragement from the sidelines, getting weird looks from just about everyone. In the midst of the clash, Sid jerked in closer and rammed his chin against the attacker's face, breaking up the struggle and giving Sid a momentary advantage. He lunged forward with a stab, but the swordsman weaved left, letting the knife go through his drafty overcoat. Sidestepping into close range, the swordsman bent his left leg and aimed upwards, landing a swift blow on Sid's jaw with a sandal-wearing foot. Sid stumbled backward, his back thumping against the chalkboard. "Mister Barrett!" Dart cried. The attacker put his katana away, and offered Sid his hand. He grabbed it, pulling upward shakily and taking some of the chalkboard with him.

"Nice one, Mifune. See you at lunch." Sid said, coughing as waved away the chalk dust with his hand. Then, as if nothing had happened, he began to make his departure from the scene.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." The swordsman said quietly with a nod. Dart confusedly took a step down from the top of his desk and sat down, letting a confusing sort of calm sink in. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. Just got slightly carried away." The swordsman said matter-of-factly. Dart sighed; seeing Sid gave him hope that there was a possibility that he could be the teacher. Still, he didn't really have it in him to hold any ill will against the teacher, at least not yet. The teacher cleared his throat and paced to the center of the room.

"So, it has come to my attention that we have a few new students today." The teacher looked to be reading a sheet of paper, scanning it over carefully. Now that the sparring match had passed, Dart could get a better look at the swordsman-or, as he had just now learned, his teacher. He had sandy, whitish skin, beige hair that went slightly beyond his neck, as well as a tall, slender build. "Would those students care to stand up?" He requested, still referring to the sheet. Dart and Alice rose, and from across the room, Dart saw Cassiel and Julian do the same.

"Cassiel?" He briefly took a look up from the paper.

"I am present!" She yelled, probably trying to sound serious, but failing on all accounts.

"I see. You can sit down now. Dart D. Cay?"

"Right here." Dart waved.

"Alright. Julian Leone?"

"Yeah, here." He muttered, with the enthusiasm equivalent to a poetry student with an F.

"And lastly, Alice Robinson."

"Here." Alice sat down last, prompting the teacher to speak.

"I'll try to remember those names. You may address me as Mifune, Mister Mifune, Mifune-Sensei, or whatever title satisfies you. Before we begin, I want you four to know that you'll be treated no differently, for better or for worse, by your classmates and I."

"Now, let's begin sparring." Mifune said, toting his katana on his shoulder.

Everyone lined up on the pavement of the academy's grounds, fidgeting around anxiously under the vibrant sun. After everyone had properly assembled and shut up, Mifune began a very slow walk to the front. Was it just his easy-going nature, or intentional, letting the students grill in the sunlight? Whatever the reason, Dart couldn't tell; those owl-eyes of his told _nothing._ At long last, Mifune stopped in his tracks, turning to face the students.

"You can scatter now. Just be ready when it comes." He said, surprisingly brief. He didn't care to elaborate what 'it' was, leaving Dart with a sense of confusion and dread.

Growing antsy, Dart nudged Joaquin on the shoulder. "Psst, Joaquin. Just wonderin', but, what's going on?"

"It's just sparring. The fight ends when someone hits the ground or cries out for mercy; short, but sweet, you know? Just remember, no shame in tapping out." He said, giving Dart a brotherly pat on the back, perhaps a little too hard. Thankfully, he seemed to bounce back from his female-induced trauma quickly, fitting for such a charismatic guy.

"Julian Leone! Nicolette Andreu!" Mifune shouted out. Julian bit his lip tightly in what looked to be fear, in contrast to his foe, who barely adjusted her sunglasses as she stepped out in front of Mifune. Julian gulped, putting his fists in front of his face.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding-" Julian could hardly get another word in before getting interrupted by a high heel to the face, knocking him flat on his ass.

"Partner!" Cassiel shouted with worry from the sidelines. Julian waved his white jacket like a flag as he laid on the ground defeated.

Julian's opponent ran a hand through her silvery hair. "Literally though?" She scoffed, returning back to her social circle organized in the shade.

"Just one of her worse days." Joaquin noted.

Dart blinked, looking at Joaquin in mild confusion. "Excuse me for bringin' it up, but, I think your weapon buddy said you were afraid of girls, right?" He asked tentatively. Fortunately, Joaquin didn't seem too fazed by his question.

"Once you have been with one of them so long, it really isn't the worst." He admitted casually. Dart considered it, and nodded in understanding.

"Dart D. Cay! Nika Andreu!" Dart gulped. He watched as the previous combatant's sister took up the plate with a similarly stoic look. She was older than Dart, taller than Dart, and likely more combat-experienced. Though, she was no Victoria in terms of build, so she couldn't be too tough, right?

"Good luck, friend." Joaquin leaned close to Dart's ear, now speaking more softly. "Nika isn't a runner, so go for the legs." He whispered. Armed with critical knowledge, Dart felt a surge in confidence and strided to the center.

Dart put his arms up hesitantly, but dropped them once he noticed the look in Nika's eyes. Her eyebrows sagged heavy with reluctance, and she looked at Mifune painedly. "Mister Mifune, may I be reassigned to a different opponent? I don't feel like this is a good match-up."

Mifune shook his head. "Rules are rules." She groaned, and turned to look at Dart.

"I'm letting you back out. It's okay, I won't judge." She said, talking to him the same way an adult would to a child.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll do alright." Dart couldn't help but feel a little irritated at her condescending manner, putting up his fighting stance again.

"I'm being serious, you don't have to! I'll give you three seconds to back out, or else I'm coming. I'll start now." Despite her pleadings, Dart didn't budge an inch.

"Three…" She began.

"Two…" Nika hadn't even assumed a proper fighting stance yet, just standing there, _waiting_ for Dart to give up. Dart looked aside, awkwardly trying to ignore it.

"One and three quarters…"

"One and a half…"

"One and a fourth…"

"GET ON WITH IT! I came here to see some bloodshed, not this!" Someone heckled from the sidelines. Strangely, Dart found himself agreeing with them, although he kept it inward.

"One, zero! There!" She shifted her weight to right foot, placing it in front of her. Finally, she placed her arms up, clenching her fists.

_Remember Dart, this isn't a cheap shot. Just a little ol' dose of strategic depth. _Dart thought, running forward. Her scarlet eyes watched him carefully as he skidded to a halt, transferring his kinetic energy into a low kick towards her lower-left leg. The aftermath of the blow sent a blast of wind in his face. That had to mean _something._ He looked down, expecting to see Nika lying on the ground. A chill went up his spine as he saw the actual result; with sheer reflex alone, she had parried the blow using her forearm to block. His eyes went wide. Dart was thrown off his balance as she grabbed him by the ankle and yanked upward. "Hauugh!" If he had eaten lunch yet, Dart would have lost it right there the moment she spun him around and tossed him in the direction he was previously facing. His back hit the ground with a thump, and he heard a collective, sympathetic moan from the class, spare for maybe one laugh in the back.

"Just to clarify, I _did _warn you." She said calmly, strutting off the scene. Dart climbed back up, and breathed, glad it wasn't as bad as he predicted.

"Dart, for future reference, remember that this is where arrogance gets you." Alice cut in with her usual brand of cynicism as Dart walked back rubbing his jaw.

"That wasn't arrogance!" He said flusteredly. He steadied himself, and corrected his tone. "It was more like...I dunno…"

"Whatever makes you feel better. All I'm saying is that you can get a better view from the back lines as opposed to the front." She said, crossing her legs as she spoke. When Dart went silent however, her eyes turned to him. "What's got you all giddy?" Reading his expression like a book, Alice took note of Dart's awestruck eyes and admiring smile, staring at the ground.

"I know I won't sound right when I say this, but…" Dart paused. He was shaking. His head tilted upwards, staring straight ahead towards the skies. "Look at the people around us. Like-I thought, when we met Victoria, I never could have imagined we'd be that good. She was just way out of our league, y'know? Just impossible! But now, more and more _really _good people are showing up." Dart rested his head on his chin for a moment, rattling his head for the words to match his thoughts. "I'm thinking...We should get strong too."

Alice rocked her head slowly, taking the suggestion into consideration. "...It's not a bad idea. We'll need that extra boost if we want to kill a witch. Though...where do we start?" She asked. Dart opened his mouth eagerly, but then found himself slack-jawed, at a loss for words.

"I...Don't know."

The rest of class went faster than Dart would've liked, for once. Alice had (reluctantly) let him borrow a notebook to record data, but he found himself too dumbstruck by the variety of skills used in the demonstrations to get anything decent. Some reminded him of Victoria, using raw power to overcome their opponent, while others used their smaller builds to their favor, using grapples Dart had previously assumed were illegal in most countries. Even with all the amazing displays, he still had to acknowledge the less glamorous side of the lesson. Nobody, repeat, _nobody_ save for the very elite escaped without a battle scar somewhere. Dart had to admit, there was something very uncanny about seeing same old cheery Cassiel with two black eyes painted on her face like a neon sign. When the last match concluded, Mifune dismissed the class, but curiously didn't go with them. "New students, could I see you for a moment?" He sat with his legs crossed in the shade

"Are you four signed on for any missions tomorrow?" He asked. Dart's eyes darted to Alice, since she was the one who usually picked out the missions. She glanced back knowingly and shook her head. Cassiel and Julian threw each other panicked stares, looking quite distressed.

"B-But the three-headed spider mission-!" Cassiel sputtered out at Julian, her eyes wide. Julian looked away, crossing his arms with his brows furrowed.

Julian gritted his teeth, digging his heel into the ground irritatedly. "Whatever, it was probably fake anyway…"

Mifune regarded their plight with indifference. "I'm sorry if you already had plans, but there's a task I have for you four. There's an abandoned house a little outside Death City. The DWMA thinks it could be of use, perhaps as a storage building or something.. I want you to clean it up. There's cleaning supplies there. Just...Be cautious. There'll be a few others with you as well. Make sure to scrub it clean. You're dismissed." The group paused hesitantly, before moving away at their own paces.

Alice broke the silence as they walked, immediately saying what they were all thinking. "Certainly I can't be the only one who's getting a strong sense of…"

"Yeah…" Dart, Cassiel, and Julian said simultaneously. There was an underlying feeling of deception going on, but confronting Mifune about it would do no good, seeing as he seemed pretty tight-lipped.

"Pardon me, but is there an unseen element to cleaning that involves the slaying of evil? I don't wish to assume the worst of Mister Mifune, yet...I'm assuming the worst of Mister Mifune!" Cassiel said, growing gradually more panicked as she spoke.

"Cassiel, I don't wanna say this, but I think I'm agreeing with you. We've been thrown for a loop so many times I've kinda gotten numb to it." Dart admitted, sheepishly crossing and uncrossing his fingers.

"Your thoughts, Julian?" Alice turned her attention towards him, noticing he had gone quiet for a bit.

Julian looked towards the wall, aggressively avoiding the group's burning stares. "I dunno, maybe it is just a cleaning assignment…" He spoke through his teeth, his eyes still fixated away from them. The three of them double-taked, all looking at Julian with varying levels of shock.

Alice snorted, smirking at Julian."_You,_ positive? I'd never thought I'd see the light of day."

Cassiel swiftly interrupted Alice, cupping Alice's mouth with her hand. "Alice, _please…_"

"He might have a point though. I mean, Joe hasn't tried to kill us yet." Dart pointed out, now deep in thought about the argument as a whole.

Julian shook his head. "That ain't it. I'm just gettin' tired of it." He spoke off to the side, not exactly shy, but still indirect; perhaps embarrassment? A one-sided awkward silence fell over the group, as everyone else waited for him to elaborate. "Jeez! What's next, do I gotta tell you my bank account number?" He let out a vexed breath before continuing. "I'm just saying, going in with shit expectations every two seconds feels like shit! It's just...startin' to wear me out." His voice rose, then sank, as another speechless quiet fell upon the group.

"_Yes!_" Cassiel threw her arms up in the air, loudly voicing her excitement. Then, her peers' eyes fell on her. She looked back at them in confusion, slowly bringing her arms down as she gauged their reactions. "...What?"

* * *

><p>The persistent caws of crows and the low, droning cries of insects substituted the usual bustling loudness of Death City as the four took their first steps outside of the city's boundaries, and into the sunsetted desert. Rumor had it that Kishin eggs wandered the desert, living in complete seclusion until they went to claim their victims, and then guzzling down the bodies to erase any trace of them. Of course, coming from a school of teenagers, Death City was quick to dismiss the rumors and assure tourists and outsiders alike that the rumors were just, well, rumors. Didn't stop people from continuing to spread them, or provide a proper explanation to the actual, legitimate missing persons notices flying around. The group circled the parameter of the city until they found it; a small, run-down house not incredibly far from Death City. It was surrounded by tall cornfield, untended and withered for what looked to be quite some time now. The 'others' that Mifune said were coming with never showed at their apartments, leading them to head out on their own.<p>

"Cassiel, scout out the area ahead. We don't want to risk being ambushed." Alice ordered.

"Gladly!" Cassiel chimed. Finally, she was needed! And by Alice, no less. She made a mental note to talk to her more, before rising upwards to about three times the height the house, looking around for anything suspicious, _besides_ the old, decrepit house in the desert. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but that's only what she could say for outside the house. What laid inside remained an ever-present mystery. Cassiel took one final glance before descending down, eager to report her findings.

"Anything spooky?" Dart shined a flashlight through the cornfields slowly and thoroughly, barely looking at Cassiel as he spoke.

"Nothing in our vicinity, no." She replied back, shaking her head. Alice looked at Cassiel and nodded; a sign of approval. Cassiel beamed.

"Nothing. Nothing's gone wrong, and nothing's gonna go wrong." Julian took the first step into the mass of stalks, treading lightly. Dart followed, walking in the path Julian was clearing. Cassiel floated after them, eager to catch up, even though she could have easily just flown over to the house.

"Ah, Alice?" Cassiel was quick to initiate conversation, turning her head to the blonde trailing behind her.

"What is it?" Her voice was flat, but not irritated, thankfully. Now Cassiel had to follow up with a discussion-starter. So many questions, yet so little time. What's her family like? Is being a weapon difficult? Why does her accent sound different from everybody elses'?

"Are you scared of this place?" She asked, not thinking. _Ah, confound it. _Cassiel thought, knowing she had wasted a question.

"What sort of question is that?" Alice shot back coolly, leaving Cassiel speechless. "I am _not _scared. I'm just uneasy, alright? We're here, alone, half a mile from the school, and god knows how far from our apartments, and-"

"Alice, Alice! I understand! That wasn't...That's not...What I meant to say." Cassiel interrupted Alice distraughtly, frantically shaking her arms as she spoke, coming to the realization that her words translated far differently in Alice's head.

"Oh…" Alice blinked, her aloof facade momentarily shattered as her mouth fumbled for words. "Sorry." Her voice was like a sudden, fleeting breeze; quiet and swift, as she quickly turned her head forward.

"There's no need. I was never angry." She piped up, trying to sound cheery.

"Of course you wouldn't be." Alice looked halfway back with a slight smile. "You're a social anomaly, Cassiel. Take that as you will." She said, promptly looking ahead with a whip of her head. After she turned away, Cassiel let out a noiseless sigh, grinning in relief.

Upon emerging from the cornfield, they found themselves on the rickety front steps of the emerald-covered house. Julian froze on the porch, not reaching for the doorknob. "Everything alright there, Julian?" Dart asked, his eyes shifting left and right for any sign of danger. Julian turned back very slowly with his lips sealed tightly, not moving his body an inch, save for his right arm which jerked upward, gesturing to his ear. Very slowly, he leaned forward, pressing against the door with the side of his head. Everyone followed suit, listening closely. Cassiel wasn't sure what to expect when she laid her ear on the bristly hardwood door, but the moment she heard _voices _coming from inside, she nearly recoiled. They were incomprehensible, just too far to absorb anything they were actually saying. Now they were faced with two choices: turn back and face the shame of their own cowardice, or risk taking on the thing, or more likely, _things _inside, in a cramped location, with no possible knowledge of its layout.

"_I'm going in. Best just to get it over with, right? That, and the suspense is killing me._" Dart delicately twisted the knob, barely tapping the door open before Julian slammed it shut.

"_We can't just run in there!" _He scolded, keeping his hand firmly pressed over the doorknob.

"_I don't suppose you have some sort of plan, then?_" Alice asked, looking at Julian expectantly.

"_Of course he has a plan!_" Cassiel jumped in, feeling obligated to defend her partner's honor. In what seemed to be becoming an irritating trend for her, awkward silence followed her statement. She hesitated, before gesturing to him. "_Tell them of your plan, Julian._"

"_Okay, here's the plan._" Julian acted as an impromptu tactician, using his palm as a visual of the inside of the house, and the fingers on his other hand as a representation of them. "_We're going to walk in there, see, that's us, and we're gonna storm in, sneak up behind 'em, and just blindside 'em. Bam. Problem solved, start cleaning up. We can't transform though; too much noise. Got it?_" He finished, looking to his peers for confirmation. Cassiel nodded, willing to follow through, but still took the hesitation and stress in his voice as a bad sign. Dart and Alice looked similarly distressed, but nodded too. "_We're going in, remember, stealth. On three, got it?_ _One...Two...THREE!_"

"HAAAAGGHHH!" Nobody was sure who screamed first, but stealth went out the window the moment four shrieks came from the front door, heralded beforehand by a door being hastily flung open loudly. Alice and Julian assumed their weapon forms, landing in their meisters' hands rather ungracefully in the panic. Footsteps clamored from the other room, growing louder and closer with every breathing moment. Dart and Cassiel stood steadfast and on-guard, prepared for any monster running their way-that is, until they heard a gasp.

"You-!" Someone cried. Cassiel's eyes shot to the right, and found herself similarly speechless. Four-no, five, EAT class students stood in the doorway to the kitchen, staring down the group with surprised, panicked eyes. Alice reverted back to her human form, and Julian followed, assuming a very disheartened, fearful look in the presence of these somewhat familiar faces. After what seemed like an eternity, one of the students pushed through, stomping on the ramshackle floor over to them.

"Oh, you're _not_ serious." She began, tilting her shades downward to show off her very unamused eyes. "You were supposed to be here, like, an HOUR ago." She hesitated, then stepped forward, the light in her sunglasses' reflection glinting as her face contorted into a look of intrigue. "_You._" Her heel clicked against the wooden floorboards, raising an eyebrow. "If I'm going to have a heart attack, it's gonna be when I'm wheezing it up in a nursery home, _not _when some kid barges in here screaming." She raised her knee in the air dramatically, hovering over Julian's foot while he could do nothing more than watch.

"Nicolette!" Just as her shoe came crashing down, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "If you insist on using inappropriate force on the new ones, do it away from me." He easily lifted the girl's stick frame off the ground, placing her behind his larger figure. "Forgive her, new students. She may seem of the roguish type, but take my word for it when I say Nicolette is far more than most people give her credit for-"

"Don't bolster up my sister too much, Cole. We know how that ends." Another girl cut in, stepping in front of the armored student. "Now, about you little guys, what are you doing here, exactly?" Her tone was sickeningly sweet, addressing Cassiel and the others like small children despite the seemingly small age gap between them.

"Actually, we're uh, here for the clean-up operation? I think you guys might've gotten stuck with the wrong mission, because, well, Mister Mifune asked us to do this." Dart explained, opening the door for them with a somewhat nervous smile. The girl dismissed his efforts, pressing the door shut with her foot.

"Well then, it seems you're mistaken sweetie. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, hon, but _we _were actually assigned to clean here. So, you and your friends can run along now, okay?" She gently ruffled up his hair, before spinning him by the shoulders, making him face the door.

"We've no intention of leaving." Alice stated plainly. "It's either you or us. Isn't that right?" After that, the room erupted, bursting into an incoherent rupturing of assertions, insults, apologies, and other loud noises that one would prefer not to hear. Cassiel, in the midst of the chaos, took a seat in a chair that had a nice floral pattern but a very uncomfortable texture, waiting for it to end in a state of helpless passivity.

"_Cassiel._" In the heat of the moment, a whisper grabbed Cassiel's attention. The Esper looked upward, and sprung out of the chair, overjoyed to see a non-aggressive familiar face.

"Georgina!" She was quick to embrace her friend in a tight hug, levitating off the ground with her for just a brief moment before descending briskly. She smiled back somewhat shyly, and gestured for Cassiel to follow. She did, but not before dragging Julian along too. They stole away to the kitchen, eager to get away from the escalating scene.

"Here, take this." On the other end of the kitchen, Georgina casually tossed a long tool to Cassiel. She briefly fumbled around with it before securely grasping it, eyeing it closely. It took her a second to identify it as a 'mop', something she had heard of and seen, yet never learned of its exact purpose.

"Ah, um...Thank...you?" Confusion leaked into her sincere tone as she looked back up sheepishly.

"Oh! I figured I would have to do some explaining...Just use that to scrub the floors, and dip it back in the bucket every few moments. It's a cleaning tool." Thankfully, she seemed to pick up pretty quickly. Cassiel sighed, grateful of the trouble Georgina had spared her of. While the three of them went through the room, dusting, mopping, and the like, the noise from the living room gradually died down until it became nonexistent. "Y-Yeah, sorry about them. They're cool, just a little overzealous sometimes."

Julian stifled a chuckle. "Yeah, y'think?" Georgina looked momentarily surprised at his presence, as if she forgot he was in the room.

"You're Cassiel's weapon partner, right? I don't think we've met. I'm Georgina." She stuck out her hand for Julian to shake, which he awkwardly reciprocated.

"It's Julian. Don't get fancy with nicknames or anything. Hey, speakin' of which, where's your weapon partner?" He said. Then, as Cassiel recalled before, Georgina's right arm burst with an unsavory liquid, as the torso-and-above of a vaguely human figure rose upward. Julian's eyes bulged at the sight, his lips watering, desperately searching for words.

"You think you've seen overzealous, kid? _I'll show you overzealous!_" He threatened, but at the current distance, his arms were too far to reach Julian. Meanwhile, Georgina merely tapped her foot and stared out the kitchen window with crossed arms, backing slightly away from the weapon. An overwhelmed 'sorry' was all she could get in while the demon ranted.

"Aaaannnd, in you go." She popped out a vial of holy water from her pocket and poured it on her inhuman arm, sealing Malphas back into her arm. Her eyes met Julian's, who looked clearly traumatized from witnessing _that_. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry-" Before she could finish, Julian put his arms out in front of him, stopping her mid-sentence.

"...Y'know what? Not the most terrifying experience I've had today, so you're off the hook." Julian said; with Malphas gone, he calmed down surprisingly quick.

"Oh thank god…" Georgina wiped the sweat from her forehead, leaning against the kitchen sink as she let out a heaving sigh.

"_BWAHAHAHA!_" Just as peace began to settle in, Malphas burst out _again_, making himself known to all in the vicinity.

"Not again! That was barely a second!" She sputtered, looking at the thin glass contained in her palm in disbelief.

The demon opened his mouth wide, sucking in a deep breath. Everyone covered their ears, bracing the worst. "-Dammit, I think I swallowed a dustball or something-hold on…" Malphas's booming voice lost its harsh quality as a coughing fit overtook him, while Georgina annoyedly patted his back like a mother to a toddler.

"Y-You guys should probably go. I sorta used up my last phial of holy water for today, so things are probably gonna get worse from here…Besides, I think there are some other rooms that need to be cleaned. Divide and conquer, right?" She said, laughing it off awkwardly.

"Right." Cassiel nodded understandingly, heading up the stairs with Julian, mop in-hand.

"Oh, Cassiel?" Georgina stopped Cassiel midway up the stairs, looking a little embarrassed. "See you later." She waved amiably, bobbing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"No." Cassiel said bluntly. "See you soon." She waved back, before dashing upstairs, tracking water everywhere.

"Yo, Cass, over here. This room's pretty small." On the upper floor, Julian gestured to a room near the end of the hallway. "H-Hey, be careful with that bucket! These shoes are new, alright?" He said, quickly backing away from the girl as she glided into the room.

"Hmm...This almost reminds me of my previous chamber…" Cassiel mused aloud. The cramped, yet still barely livable quality of it gave her a nostalgic feeling that she didn't necessarily want to relive. A bed meant for one sat in the top right corner of the room, placed right next to a window. Curiously, the window looked to be placed in the wrong section of the room; rather than facing, say, the desert, the window gave a nice, lively view of outer Death City's grey buildings. Aside from that, the room was rather bare, with the only other thing occupying space being a desk with a dried quill and some parchment.

"You mean that old apartment joint? You ain't wrong about that. It looks like sh-" Julian paused, remembering the _other _previous chamber Cassiel had lived in. "Oh. My bad."

"Think nothing of it, partner." She dismissed the subject immediately, scrubbing the cracking floorboards nonchalantly.

"Hey, Cass." The flow of time felt practically nonexistent until Julian spoke up, firmly grounding Cassiel to reality.

"Yes?" She looked directly at Julian, too distracted to keep mopping.

"Are you and that Georgina chick...Friends?" He asked, leaning against the desk.

"Of course!"

"Okay. Cool, I guess." His head turned to the floor, then the window, then the ceiling; basically anywhere but Cassiel.

"Julian, what troubles you?"

"It's nothin'." He picked up a feather duster and turned his back to her, seeming almost too focused on the desk in front of him.

Cassiel gasped. "_Julian_, are you perhaps feeling the human emotion of…"

"Don't say it…"

"Of…"

"You're thinkin' it right now, I can tell."

"_Of…_"

"Don't-don't you frickin' dare…"

"_ENVY!_"

"_AM NOT!_" Julian yelled back, his face radiating with embarrassment.

"Julian, I encourage you to embrace your feelings! As my first friend, you especially are dear to me!" Out of the blue, she flung herself at Julian with a flight-propelled hug, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"Jeez, warn me next time you're gonna knock out my back, will ya?" Julian sarcastically asked, not bothering to get up. Between Cassiel's arms around his neck, and being cramped in the middle of the desk and the bed, it would be more than a challenge.

_Crack._

Before either of them had the sense to ask 'What was that?' the floorboards beneath them gave way, sending them both tumbling down to the first level.

"_Dios mío_!" Somebody cried, as Cassiel and Julian _thumped_ onto the prickly carpet. They groaned, as two others helped them on their feet.

"Are you two quite alright? I was under the impression this house was unstable, but…" The armored one seemed genuinely concerned for their safety, dusting off Cassiel with his cold gauntlets.

"Y-Yeah, fine…Just didn't see that coming." Julian said, a little shaken from the fall. To his disturbance, night had already fallen, almost too quickly, rendering the house dark, save for the moonlight that shined through the cracked window.

"So it seems the fight has blown over?" Cassiel asked, changing the subject without much hesitation. The shorter one's mouth pressed shut when Cassiel spoke, looking somewhat flushed.

"Indeed. Your acquaintance Dart certainly knows how to end a squabble."

"Alright, that's amazing. Now can we get out of here? This place is fallin' apart. DWMA ain't gonna want this." Julian said, pointing to the portion of the ceiling from which they fell. The armored one opened his mouth to speak, but his partner cut him off.

"Cole, I know you _hate _safety and rules, but perhaps the kid is right?" He began sarcastically, before pausing rigidly and speaking softer. "It isn't safe here, brother."

"Very well." Cole said begrudgingly. "But I will leave the convincing to you two. But I highly advise you be wary of where you step. Joaquin, you will remain here."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Joaquin said, plopping into one of the cushioned chairs.

As they departed from the living room, Cassiel and Julian found themselves at a crossroads of sorts. "Who do you suppose we contact first?" Cassiel asked, with a tilt of the head. "Ah, I don't believe we've talked to those sisters yet, have we?" She briefly peeked into one of the rooms they had yet to enter, before Julian pulled her head back.

"Uh-uh, no way. They're bad news. At least the older one is. My foot can attest to it." Julian remarked, rubbing his right shoe gently.

"We'll just have to see to them later then, won't we? Perhaps our newfound friend would care to aid us." Cassiel turned towards the kitchen, venturing into the now-darkened room.

"_Geeeoooorrrgiiiiinnnnaaa?_" She cried out, her eyes scanning the kitchen. Her cry echoed throughout the house, ringing hollow as she heard nothing in return. "She must be in the restroom…"

"No way. The bathrooms here are crap, no pun intended. Probably just finished here and started on another room." Julian rationalized, digging his hands into his pockets. "Probably." He repeated.

"...Yes, probably." Cassiel hesitantly nodded, moving onto the next room. A little past the stairway led to a dining room, where a long table decked in ripped white cloth stood. "Ah, you two!" After unease had begun to sink in, Cassiel was happy to see some people she recognized. The two grey-haired girls from before occupied it, taking note of Cassiel and Julian's presence.

"I sure hope you guys finished with your room before coming here…" One of them said, sounding just a hint irritated at being interrupted.

"I don't." The presumably older one said, taking off her sunglasses as she adjusted her makeup with the help of a small hand-mirror.

"Listen, so, I dunno if you guys have noticed or not, but this place is a dump. So the mission's off." Julian explained.

"Are you sure, buddy? Because we worked really hard on this room, and I don't want it to go to waste, okay?" Again, with the baby-talk. Julian bit down on his lip to prevent himself from saying anything he would regret.

"I believe so, ma'am!" Cassiel said eagerly.

"I'm dying over here." The older sister said, in complete deadpan. "I like this one. She should be like, a comedian." She chuckled, not looking away from the hand mirror.

"Yeah, hilarious, now can we go?" Julian took a step out of the room, forgetting who he was talking to.

"I think I'd remember if I ever asked for your backtalk, blondie." She raised an eyebrow, tapping her heel on the floor. Julian gulped.

"_Nicolette! _Don't be rude!" Her sister chastised.

"Oh yeah? Says _who_?" She retorted.

"Ugh, so unprofessional!"

"Oooh, sass much, Nika!"

"I'm gonna tell mom and dad!"

"What are they gonna do, drive up here and ground me?"

"Perhaps we should…" Cassiel whispered to Julian

"Leave? Yeah, thought so…" The two snuck out, retreating to the kitchen.

"Now we ought to check on Dart and Alice." Cassiel went through the first unopened door she saw, which just happened to be the entrance to the back porch. In the pitch-black darkness, anything beyond the porch was cloaked in shadow, leaving their minds to wander for what exactly lied in there.

"Nope." Julian shut the door immediately, not even taking a step outside beforehand. Cassiel no longer bothered with choosing _who_ to find, now just instinctively wandering the house in search of people. In their hurried search, they came across a laundry room, a pool room, a gambling room, a broom room, a gloomy (yet roomy) room, among other places. The two came to a stop in the living room, having exhausted every non-bathroom chamber in the house. In other words, a complete circle.

Cassiel took a breath. For a moment, she almost wished she could go back to the chaos again, just to hear another's voice. "No one's...here…"

"Maybe they got the memo and left. Let's head out." Julian gestured to the door, but Cassiel didn't budge an inch, looking at him pleadingly.

"B-But, perhaps..." Cassiel looked more nervous than she had ever been before, shaking her head with an expression so far off and sunken in Julian could have mistaken her for a walking corpse.

"Cass, nothing's happened, and nothing's gonna happen. Just lighten up!" Julian's tone grew more forceful, grabbing her by the wrist as he stared out the open door.

"J-Julian, _we can't_!" The more she protested, the shorter her breath felt. It wasn't just a sensation in her chest; her whole body began to feel dense and light. Gasps came in short bursts as she began to crumple over, clutching her head with her shaking hands. Julian tried his best to steady her, breaking into a sweat as he tried to find the cause of her sudden affliction.

"C'mon Cass, speak to me…" They looked at each other, but Julian could tell Cassiel wasn't staring back, merely looking in his direction as her pupils gazed far beyond him. It wasn't until her dulled eyes sparked to life with a supernatural blue aura that she stood up, quickly regaining consciousness.

"Can't see...Everything is dark...Julian?" For someone experiencing blindness, she sounded unnaturally calm.

"Y-Yeah, I'm here. Listen, do you need a water or something?" Julian slowly backed away from Cassiel, hesitant to leave her alone. She didn't look to be in pain anymore, just floating around without direction with those glowing eyes.

"No, I'm fine, I just need to find out where to go…" She mumbled. Her head turned left and right, obviously looking for something. She nearly bumped into a piano before Julian stopped her.

"Cassiel, the only where you're going is _home. _You're blind!" He waved his hand in front of her face just to confirm that her sight was indeed gone. No response, to his dismay.

Still, Cassiel remained unfazed. To Julian's everlasting confusion, she smiled embarrassedly and waved her hands, still playing it off like this was only an annoyance. "No, partner, I really am okay! This has happened before. Do you recall Athens?"

"_Athens_?" Julian gawked. "That was forever ago. What's that got to do with this?"

"The very same thing occurred! My vision went dark, and then I saw you, just as I wanted to find you!"

"Damn, I didn't think you were for real about that." He huffed, raising an eyebrow. "So how did you make it go away?"

She put her index finger to her lip, recalling that long-past day. "Well, I believe it faded when I saw you and realized where I needed to go."

"Alright, easy fix. Just fly above the house and use your weird vision to find them." He suggested, although his confidence was rather lacking in the idea.

"Very well! To the front yard!" She confidently marched forward, bumping into a lampshade and falling over.

"Wrong front." Julian sighed, steering her in the direction of the door as she fumbled back up.

* * *

><p>"Aaand, here." Julian let go of Cassiel's shoulders, both of them now facing the house from the outside. "Blast off, Cass." He gave her a thumbs-up, despite the fact that she couldn't see it. She nodded quickly, but Julian noticed it lacked her usual levels of energy; maybe the stress of the situation had begun to pile upon her? She bent her legs, and jumped, sending rushing winds Julian's way as she shot upwards beyond the house's height. After the wind blew, Julian took a look up, and saw the light in Cassiel's eyes fade, to his relief.<p>

"Find 'em?" He shouted. Cassiel didn't respond, descending back to the ground silently, likely waiting until she landed to tell him of the results. Rather quickly, her descension was, lacking the usual floaty quality behind Cassiel's flight. In fact, one could even say she was...falling. Julian's eyes widened. "_Shit-!_" He acted quickly, catching her in a diving save before she hit the ground. _Gah, my arms...How many more bones am I gonna break today? _He thought, shuddering as he felt a stinging goosebump travel through his body. Cassiel's eyes slowly opened, not quite unconscious.

"Didja...Didja see anyone?" He asked, gently letting go of her back as she pulled herself together.

"Huh?" She blinked, sitting up as she seemed to be coming to grips with things. "O-Oh, no, I didn't." She pushed herself off the ground, wobbling as she stood. Evidently, she wasn't used to not levitating to get around.

Julian chuckled nervously. "W-What's wrong, didja have a power outage or something?" He said. He dropped the smile as he realized this was far from a joke to Cassiel. Apparently, using two of her Esper powers at once seemed to drain her internal 'battery' rather quickly. Or at least, that's what Julian theorized.

"I feel tired." Three words, yet they came out so prolonged and slurred. "Let's go." She said, walking back to the house with a limp. Julian looked away, perturbed by his meister's determination despite her state.

"...Cass, let me take over with finding 'em." After keeping his mouth shut on the subject for a while, Julian spoke.

"But how?" Cassiel's head whipped back in surprise, already regaining some of her lost energy. They were on the front steps of the house, just heading back in.

"I ain't a Superman, but I already got five powers of my own: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and the other one." He said, listing them off on his fingers as he went. "Just wait upstairs in that room we cleaned up. Get some shut eye and all that."

"Oh...Okay." Cassiel nodded reluctantly, heading towards the stairs by the kitchen. She took one last look at Julian through the railing whilst ambling up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Cassiel thumped on the bed, although the numerous splinters in the mattress didn't make it a pleasant experience. She rolled on her side, facing the wall as she scrunched up her stomach, bringing her knees to her chest in pain. <em>Without my powers, what exactly am I? <em>She rolled over again, this time turning to face the ceiling with a look of worry. _A human. No more, no less. _Her body tossed to the side, pulling up a blanket too small to cover her entire body. _Yes, that's good! A human. Like Julian, Dart, Alice, Georgina...If I stay like this, I could be like them..._She traced her finger on the barely-stuffed pillow, entertaining the fantasy with a coy smile. _But if I stay like this, I can't stay at the DWMA. _Cassiel's smile faded as quickly as it came. _Why am I thinking such thoughts? It must be the result of my own weary delusions. I...I just need someone to talk to. _She took a step out of bed, attempting to levitate very slightly off the ground before nearly tripping and falling into the hole that led to the living room.

"Julian?" She called his name, praying for a swift reply. A mouse squeaked. A draft blew in from the window. Bits of the roof fell from above. Yet, Julian's voice never came back, leaving Cassiel alone in the not-quite silence. "Julian? Julian! Partner!" She yelled in every direction, refusing to accept what seemed to be truth. Her throat ached, but her yells didn't cease. Only when her mouth was incapable of making noise did she stop. She shambled over to the bed, collapsing into it on the verge of tears. "_Anyone…? Anyone at all?_" She whispered, her face buried in the pillow.

_Light. _

Cassiel's eyes opened, almost on their own. Her world had gone dark again. Nearly dark. Right in front of her, she could see silhouettes, people lit up with such a captivating blue aura. Below-how could she have not thought to look below?! And not just one, _eight _people laid in front of her, or rather, below her. She raised her head out of the pillow, quickly wiping the tears away as her vision returned. "Friends!" Wasting no time, she jumped down the hole to the first floor. She didn't know where to go, but she knew very well where she was headed: _down. _Thinking like Victoria would, she bent down on her knees and punched the floorboards. They split easily, like a couple wedded only for wealth. Cassiel grinned, kissing her sore knuckles as she made the opening wider with her foot. She squeezed through as soon as she could, forgoing stealth entirely for the sake of getting to her friends.

"Comrades!" She happily threw her arms in the air, overjoyed at the sight of her not-dead classmates. Although, she failed to notice that they were chained to the wall, with tape covering their mouths. "A-Ah! So this explains the disappearances! Who conducted this, exactly?" Cassiel started with Julian, pulling off the tape in one go. Julian gasped, rubbing the red space above his lips gingerly. After Cassiel undid his shackles, he began to speak.

"The guy who did this is…" He began.

"_RIGHT BEHIND YA!" _Cassiel could barely blink before an ax came down on her, barely dodging the gleaming metal head of the weapon. She skidded backward, carefully staring down her attacker. Julian stood beside her, looking unsure of the situation. The attacker took his time in turning around, dragging his ax across the dirt floor menacingly. From even a quick glance, one could something about the man was very off. Scraggly brown hair layered his nearly-bald head and face, and while his arms and legs were thin, his teeth looked as if they could bite through steel. He was tall as well, about as tall as Julian and Cassiel combined, with his head nearly high enough to poke through the hole Cassiel had breached to get down there. His outfit was in a clear state of disrepair, wearing a red jacket, jeans, and a plaid shirt that all looked as if a swarm of moths had gone through them. The ax-man huffed, letting out some sort of hybrid between a grunt and a laugh.

"You kids have never heard of _me_, have ya? _HAVE YA?_" His head darted to the chained students, who all shook their heads and mumbled something resembling a negative response. "Aw, nonono, don't cry. There's a good reason for that. That's because everyone who's heard of me is dead! Just like the nice couple who built this house...I was just! So! Hungry!" He ranted, his voice increasing in volume and intensity with every word. "And you fine appetizers may call me the Shining Killer, Torrance Nicholson!" He pointed to Cassiel and Julian, the latter of whom had transformed into his plasma whip form.

"Y'know what? I was really hopin' this was gonna be normal. I really was." Julian clicked his tongue a few times, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Very well. Now we can advance our Kishin egg count while we're here!" Cassiel said excitedly.

"_Not with that attitude!_" Torrance flung himself forth with a wild swing, chopping into the wall instead of Cassiel, who had fled up a flight of stairs. He took chase, getting a door slammed in his face for his troubles before he could get a good chunk out of Cassiel's leg. Rather than some secret cellar, the room leading to the basement was a bathroom of all places.

"No wonder we didn't find this place…" Julian said, covering his nose inside his weapon form.

"Now is not the _TIIIIIME!_" Cassiel shrieked as she saw the Kishin egg cut a hole in the door with his ax, peeking through with a devious smile. She flew into the kitchen, putting as much distance as possible between her and Torrance. He seemed oblivious of any obstacles in his way; no cabinet, wall, or ceiling stood between him and Cassiel. He lunged again, raising the mighty ax with a single hand. Acting on instinct, Cassiel lashed at the Kishin egg, wrapping the whip around the ax. She pulled, but with all of her strength, she had no influence over where the ax went; it was about as futile as wrapping a string onto a truck.

"You're gonna have to try harder than tha-aat!" He said. With one spin, he turned the tables on her, slamming her into the dining room wall while the whip was still attached. She winced silently, her mouth rapidly inhaling breaths as she pushed herself off a chair for support.

"Cass!" Julian shouted, alerting her to the Kishin egg, who was sprinting right at her. She barely avoided another swing, shredding a bit of her left ponytail and grazing her left shoulder. Cassiel clutched the bleeding spot, going in for the kill as her target was rendered immobile by his stuck ax.

"Now, as one would say, here goes nothing!" Feeling confident, Cassiel went straight for his neck, getting the towering man in a strangling hold. "_NOW!_" The whip crackled intensely from bottom to top, requiring all of Cassiel's grip to keep the rumbling handle from slipping away from her hands.

"Look what you did! You made me angry! Do you know what happens when I get _angry_?" His voice transitioned to a low growl, shrugging off the assassination attempt with a drop of spit. Cassiel could hardly comprehend what happened before she was met with a bony fist to the face, giving her a one-way flight through a multitude of rooms, ending with her crashing against into a supply closet.

"A-Ah…" Cassiel's vision began to cloud, seeing doubles and triples of Torrance as he drew closer. But she refused to lose consciousness. She forced herself to stand, looking the Kishin egg in the eye.

"A human soul and a weapon soul...Not a bad starting dish, wouldn't ya say?" His shadow loomed in the doorway, staring at Cassiel and Julian with a hungering drool.

"What are you gonna..." Julian was audibly choked up, looking at his meister with wide eyes. Cassiel didn't say a word, clenching the whip tighter.

Cassiel shook her head, with a smile that didn't match her usual repertoire. It was genuine, but her eyes were open and unafraid; a cocky, overconfident look. "I'm afraid you're wrong, friend." Torrance's smirk disappeared, stomping closer to Cassiel. "Because you see..._I'm not human_." A lash to the face caught the Kishin egg off-guard, giving her all the time she needed. Cassiel's arm shot downward, wrapping the electrical rope around his leg. She yanked upward, bringing the colossal man crashing down. Trampling over his body, she ran out of the closet and slammed the door shut, locking it immediately with him inside.

"Smooth moves, Cass. Just tell me when you're gonna pull a stunt like that on Death's door next time!" He shouted, still shaken from those last few terrifying moments.

"Ah, if only I had telepathy as a power. Has mankind invented a device to replicate that?" She casually asked, tapping her chin as her mind began to dwell to other places.

"Cass, the Kishin egg!" He partially emerged from weapon form, pointing at the door, which was now thumping and bulging from the inside.

"Ah, yes! Partner, I suppose we ought to try this. Breathe with me!" She ordered. The pair closed their eyes and began to concentrate, listening to each other's respiration and correcting them to be in sync. Then, it was as if someone had bound their souls with thread. She could hear his worries, hopes, and dreams, and Cassiel was certain Julian heard hers. This was wavelength matching!

"_Let's go, Soul Resonance!_" The two spoke in flawless unison, each voice holding its own passion and strength to it. A translucent energy swelled up between the two in a circular shape, lighting up the dim kitchen. Cassiel raised the plasma whip as high as she could, pointing to the moonlit sky, or more accurately, the ceiling. The door gave way, cleaved in two by the madman's ax. Furious and starved, he pounced at the Esper. "_NOW!_" Cassiel shouted. She braced for impact, shakily holding the whip out in front of her.

Cassiel blinked, blinded by a harsh light. A hazy smoke invaded her lungs, making her take a step back or two before she could get a good look at what happened. The ax-man was lying cold on the floor, his head ashen and smoking. There was a hole in the roof, causing light drops of rain to seep through. His body quickly dissipated, leaving only his Kishin egg soul behind.

"Was...Was that it?" Julian asked, just as confused as her. "Lightning, really? What a rip…" He sighed. "How about we get the hell outta here and go home?"

Cassiel nodded eagerly. "No objections!"

* * *

><p>"Aannd, lastly…" Cassiel finished by undoing Dart's constraints, yelping as the adhesive tape came off.<p>

"Bravo, Cassiel. Though I have to ask...How did you find us?" Alice asked, with a look of intrigue.

"I cried." She replied cheerfully.

"I guess we do owe you one…" Nika said, not looking at Cassiel. "I-I mean, we _could have _taken care of it, theoretically, but that's a talk for another day, right?" She dismissed the subject with a nervous laugh, heading up the stairs first.

"_That one_ saved us? Jesus, never thought I'd see that coming. I mean, come on, who would?" Before Malphas could go on, he was cut off by a universal 'Shut up!'.

* * *

><p>Once everybody had cleared the house, everyone decided to walk together, like some big, moderately happy family. "...And then I was like, 'Can I <em>ax <em>you a question?'" Dart's punchline hit the group with a mix of laughs and groans. He cleared his throat, beginning to speak a little quieter. "Y'know, I know we had some creative differences, but I had a really fun time going into this. I'm glad we came here."

Behind them, they heard a series of foreboding cracks and creaks. They turned around, unable to ignore such unnerving sounds. A slight breeze had caused the house to wobble, like paper in front of a fan. And then, right there, on the spot, it collapsed. Everyone went silent.

"Permission to pretend this night never happened?" Alice raised her hand slightly in the air. The group nodded unanimously, running like hell from what used to be the house.

**AN: Hey again, thanks for reading this chapter of Unsound Souls! With all these new characters, I've updated my deviantart with their appearances/bios and whatnot, so give that a look if you want. I also feel as if I should mention I have a semi-detailed outline on the rest of the plot, and with most of these new characters out of the way, the story will thicken from here on out. As always, your feedback is greatly encouraged, and I mean that. As an aspiring writer, I really like to hear your words of wisdom, or even just your thoughts in general. Anyways, see you next chapter.**


	15. (Update 2)

Hey guys! So, about these updates. I would prefer not to do them. Don't get me wrong, I love answering reader questions for the sake of clarity, but if I start doing these for each individual question, it could start getting cluttered. So, I propose a solution:

If you have a question, please make sure you have an account so I can just PM you instead of making these all the time.

(Though, to answer one last question, Joaquin was being sarcastic. Cole's a huge stickler for the rules.)


	16. Let's hunt a witch! Today's the day?

"Sorry hon, you can't take that mission." The reception attendant looked down at Dart and Alice's student IDs with a perplexed frown, shaking her head sympathetically.

"What seems to be the issue, ma'am?" Dart asked innocuously. Every other time they had gotten off without a hitch, why this time?

"Seems you two have done...fifteen missions."

"If I may be frank, I don't see the problem." Alice said, masking her annoyance with professionalism.

"...In the span of a week." She looked down at a file of unknown contents, disregarding Alice's cold stare.

"And the problem is…?" Alice gestured for the attendant to continue.

"The problem is, you two are gonna lose yourselves! When's the last time you didn't take a mission?"

"Last Monday, if memory serves." Dart cupped his hand around his chin, briefly pausing before recalling the date.

"My point exactly. Look at you two! You're messes!"

"_I'm fine._" Alice growled, glaring at the attendant with baggy eyes, horribly ruffled hair, and coffee-stained lips.

"It's all about…" Dart yawned. "Getting strong."

"Fine, if you two want an adventure, I'll give you an adventure." She knelt down, scrambling through a drawer for something. After a few seconds, she emerged with two small slips of paper, handing one of each to Dart and Alice.

"Huh?" They both looked down at the tiny scraps with confusion. The minuscule lettering made it difficult to read, but upon further inspection…

* * *

><p><em><strong>ADMIT ONE<strong>_

A FREE PASS to the Death City Zoo for this diligent (CIRCLE ONE) meister/weapon. Visit the school's main office to get your assigned bus times.

*_Death City is not responsible for any unfortunate mishaps and/or unprecedented hijinx that may occur to the receiver of this ticket, nor are they responsible for any damage that may occur to the zoo._

* * *

><p>"And don't come back until you've been there!" The reception attendant pulled down the metal curtain, leaving Dart and Alice to ponder their endeavour.<p>

"Dear lord! Do they think we're children or something?" With the attendant gone, Alice let her emotions run wild, throwing her arms in the air in steaming anger.

"Alice." Dart rubbed his eyes, forced to squint from the bothering lights. "We can go there, and then high-tail it out of there as soon as we're there. No suffering or Does that sound alright to you?" His tone was notably less chipper than usual.

The weapon blinked, her eyebrows raised. "That's...not a bad idea." Dart shook his head at the claim.

"Yeah, just let me sleep it off…" He mumbled, heading to the main office with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

><p>Blue, vibrant skies. A sun laughing like no tomorrow. An ideal day for most. <em>Most. <em>Right now, Dart longed for his bed, some pajamas, and some colors that weren't eye-gougingly bright. Alice's mood seemed to be no better, as the two of them baked under the Nevada sun. At one o'clock, just as expected, the bus arrived. At the stop, it honked obnoxiously, signalling for the two to get in.

"Comin'." Dart said, sluggishly striding to the bus doors. The folding doors opened, welcoming Dart into the empty bus.

"Woah, didn't expect to see you again." A familiar gruff voice pierced Dart's ears. He looked upward at the driver, and gasped.

"Mister Buttataki?" Dart's eyes widened, just as surprised.

"Ah yes, the microwave man." Alice said brusquely, to Dart's annoyance.

"I believe the term you wanna use is 'technician'." Dart grabbed a seat near the back, spreading across it like an improvised bed. Alice sat directly across.

"True. But microwaves are my speciality!" He said proudly. "...Among other things."

The bus chugged to a slow start, gradually gaining momentum as the wheels churned. Dart pressed his palm on the muggy window, kicking back as he appreciated the distinctive silence of the bus that was never present on any other day. "Hey, sorry if I ask, but…" Joe spoke up from the far front, forcing Dart to peek his head up from the seats. "You guys aren't planning to go there, get some proof of the visit, then immediately leave so you could fulfil the requirements, but also thereby entirely missing the point of the assignment, right?" He took a long sip of coffee, his eyes completely focused on the road.

Dart broke into a sweat, completely caught off-guard by his casual (and dead-on) summation. "No?" Alice said, with a groggy poker face.

"Oh, good." Thankfully, Buttataki seemed oblivious to even the most obvious of tells in Alice's voice. The meister and weapon shot each other mutual looks of relief. "Though, academy regulation requires that I chaperone for you two. Yeah, hate to be a buzzkill, but rules are rules." Dart collapsed back onto his seat, utterly defeated. The more he closed his eyes, the more he felt like home, or at least, the home the academy provided. The bus seat was his mattress. His jacket was the blanket. And the dull grumbles of the bus made for an okay substitute for the whirs of the fan. Soon, keeping his eyes open came to be a challenge, and drifting off into sleep became easier, and easier, and _easier..._

* * *

><p>"Oof!" Dart's head thumped against the seat in front of him, falling to the floor in a sudden jolt. Alice, somehow, was still blissfully asleep, managing to keep her back upright while dozing off.<p>

"We're here." Joe said, waving to get their attention. Dart stretched, significantly more reinvigorated than when he originally woke up. Upon stepping out, he was instantly welcomed with a frontal view of the entire zoo. First and foremost, before the entrance, there stood a metal statue of a lion about to pounce. Par for the course of most things in Death City, it was branded with Lord Death's current mask, right where the lion's face would be. Beyond the front gates laid an incomprehensible mess of shrubbery, bushes mixing in with trees, trees mixing in with plants, and so on and so forth.

"You can see which part goes on the brochures…" Alice remarked, sizing up the whole place with an unimpressed glance. And to be fair, she had a point. The lion had a remarkable amount of polish, clear enough to see a reflection in it, but otherwise, it was kind of unexciting. At the front gates, Joe waved to the worker running the entrance. They were denied entry for a good five minutes, until Buttataki very reluctantly pulled out his teacher ID.

"Man, this place was my childhood." He muttered. "Hasn't changed a bit in twenty years!"

"I can relate. I grew up real close to a forest, so it was kinda like this. Less animals, but it was still mostly kinda…" Dart cleared his throat. Thinking of home usually put a damper on things.

"Oh, this is no ordinary forest. Think of it as a walk through Gaia herself, being able to witness all of her wonderful creatures in one afternoon." The way Joe painted it made it sound like some utopian, untouched sanctuary, maybe as a result of some personal bias.

"So, what did you do here when you were our age? Don't get me wrong, this place does certainly seem...Enchanting." Alice said, putting on her best smile.

"Oh, yeah...About that, I shouldn't be saying this, but we mostly just came here to get-"

"_HIGH! _Put your hands high in the air, right where I can see 'em." Out of nowhere, an armed guard jumped from the bushes, stopping the three in their tracks. The three remained silent, complying as the man said. Each one of them received a thorough pat-down, keeping them deadly still for a long while. Once he found that they were no danger, he gave them some space. "Sorry. We're in a state of emergency. Rumors of a witch are floating around." He said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Anyways, don't panic or anything, just keep in mind, we may or may not be subject to a threat we don't know, but we _do _know it's probably really dangerous. Have a good one!" And with that, he left. "_Close off the entrances! Nobody is entering, and nobody is leaving!_"

"Okay, I know what you're thinking: this is gonna suck. But hey, look on the bright side, Death City forces probably already have it taken care of. It'll only be a while until they head out." He assured, keeping a broad smile on. Dart smiled back awkwardly, faking relief when in reality he wasn't too stressed to begin with. He threw a glance to Alice, who seemed _way _too excited to be the Alice he knew.

"Excuse us, we'll be back in just a moment." Alice politely dismissed herself, pulling Dart away to the side of the main path. In the shade of the greenery, Alice's wide, jade eyes caught most of his attention. Her smile was genuine, almost too genuine in fact, scaring Dart with how determined it looked. She grabbed him by the shoulders, looking at him face-level. "_Do you know what this means?_" She whispered, biting her lip.

"We're goin' for the witch?" Dart asked.

"_You're damn right we're going for the witch._" Alice clenched her fist, still shaking from the excitement. "_We can get the hardest part done, right now! And with the power I'll seize from getting a witch soul, the rest will be a walk in the park!_"

"That's amazing!" Dart beamed, now just as ecstatic. "You can finally fulfil your destiny and all that!"

"_I know!_" Alice squealed. "_And you can do...Whatever it is you're trying to achieve._"

"Yeah, it's not important." Dart forced a laugh, gazing off to the side. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Ptew!" Joe spat out a steaming mouthful of coffee, narrowly missing Dart and Alice on the other end of the table. "Overpriced, mass-produced garbage!" He slammed his cup on the table, shaking his head in vast disapproval. "Uncle Bob's coffee is the only way to go." Birds gathered around the spilt coffee, fighting over which would get the largest share. "Enough of that. Which exhibit do you guys wanna check out first?"<p>

"Yes, which exhibit…" Alice repeated aloud. "Which, which, which…" Her fingers drummed impatiently on the table, looking at Dart intently.

"Yep. Which…" Dart used a lesser emphasis on the last word, hushing his voice as he said it.

Joe's eyes glanced left and right at the two. "Okay then...Since you two can't make up your minds, guess we're headed to the reptile house." The small table shook as he stood up, eyeing the students with suspicion. Alice took control of the map, unfolding the deceptively small pamphlet into an overwhelmingly large paper. The two moved quicker than they realized, leaving Buttataki in the dust as they zipped right and left at each turn, not stopping until they hit the reptile house. The entrance-the only part that could be seen above ground-was shaped like the mouth of a cave, with the words 'Reptile House' engraved near the top. A spiralling staircase led downward, lit by the faint blue glow of those educational touch screens which Joe took an interest in. In every, single one. By the time they reached the bottom, Dart wondered if Alice's caffeine-riddled body could handle the strain of standing still for minutes on end.

To Dart's surprise, the people in the reptile house seemed mostly unaware of the panic going on above ground, casually observing the animals in their individual enclosures. "Did...Did the police really not check here?" He asked, his lips going dry.

"It's a possibility." Alice began, scanning the room carefully for any abnormalities. "But, that's where we come in."

"What are you guys talking about?" It was then that Dart and Alice remembered that Joe was present as well, and promptly silenced themselves.

"_Nothing!_" The two hurriedly scurried off, narrowly avoiding spilling the beans once more. Once they were long out of Joe's vision, they took a breath, leaning against a glass case to discuss their next move.

"That was close…" Alice mumbled, keeping her hand pressed against the glass for support.

"The police...Do you think they got here already?" Dart repeated, his mind still thoroughly pinned to the subject.

"You already asked. Why does it matter?" She glanced back at him curiously, waiting for an answer.

He sighed. "Nothin'. It's nothin'." Dart's eyes were focused on the python exhibit, watching as a hapless mouse squirmed in the snake's jaws before it clamped down, silencing the little thing as it slid downward. Dart shuddered.

"If that's all, then I'll continue." Alice cleared her throat assertively, looking at the area around to get a good grasp of things. "Mhm, mhm, mhm." Her eyes danced back and forth, nodding confidently with each glance. "Follow me." She launched ahead, powerwalking with what Dart could only assume was a look of sheer determination. Her brazen pursuit left many with stares, looking but-not-quite-making-eye-contact with the girl stomping past while Dart followed briskly behind, waving embarrassedly to the watching passerbies. After a series of twists and turns, as well as occasionally hiding from Buttataki behind masses of people, it became clear where Alice was headed: a steel door with 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' painted on it in big, obvious, red letters.

"Alice, that's-"

"I know." She didn't so much as glance behind, boldly heading for the door while Dart felt butterflies rise in his stomach. Her boots clacked onto the ground, coming to a firm stop in front of the door. She knocked thrice, waiting patiently for someone to open the steel gates of opportunity for her. In the disquiet of the moment, Dart's mind blossomed with sprouting thoughts, each spinning its own elaborate tale. _Alice is a super-genius...There's at least a million ways she could get past this! Anyone's guess to what she'll pull here, right? _He bit his thumb in anticipation, listening as thumping footsteps drew closer. A man dressed in baggy green clothes opened the door, looking a little confused to see two teenagers standing in front. Dart bit his lip, watching Alice intently.

"Can I...help you?" The zookeeper asked, tentatively stepping out into the open.

The silence in the moment was palpable. Alice stared for just a second, before dropping to her knees. "Ah, excuse me, I seem to have dropped my contacts." She scuttled past the open door, dragging Dart with her, slamming it shut the instant they were both in. "We're in." Alice said, clinging to the hallway walls like the protagonist of an old spy movie.

"That was kinda…" Dart blinked, disappointed yet at the same time baffled at Alice's somehow successful ruse.

"Hm?" Alice's head cocked to the side, raising a hand to her ear.

"Just a cough." He followed Alice's lead, sidestepping along the wall. The more Dart looked, the more the hallway seemed to contrast the rest of the zoo; grey metal walls and artificial replaced green backdrops and sunlight

"Turn coming ahead." She whispered, coming to a halt just before the turn's opening. She listened close, giving the signal once the coast sounded clear. They hurried down the tight passage, leading to a shut door, with no doorknob in sight.

Acting on instinct, Dart's hands moved up and down the walls next to the door. "Hey, Alice, ya think there's a secret button around here or anything?"

"Highly doubt it. This is an employees-only area anyway, there's hardly reason for them to hide an entrance." Alice tried pushing and sliding the door, but to no avail.

_VEWP! _Almost like an answer to their pleas, the door retracted upward. What they didn't ask for, however, was a pistol pointed at their faces just a few feet away. Like before, they put their hands in the air, caught completely off-guard. The man behind the gun looked just as panicked as the two, his hands shaking while he remained hunched in his office chair. Dart shook all over, collecting himself before speaking. "Hey, easy there, sir. We, uh, don't mean trouble, honest."

The man behind the gun looked to be sweltering, perspiring excessively despite the cold temperature. The man's hand moved to put the gun on the table, but ended up dropping it halfway through. "O-Oh." Though, calling him 'a man' might have been wrong, as he seemed more teenager than grown, fresh out of college at most. His sun-deprived, peach skin was lit only by the monitor of a computer screen behind him, and the rest of his black clothes may as well have been invisible. Frazzled, curly, brown hair poked out from under his cap, before he took it off in what Dart assumed to be a non-threatening display. He allowed himself to stretch his legs, reclining in his swivel chair. "A-Are you guys, like, lost or anything like that? Because the exit's that way." He pointed to where Dart and Alice came from.

"We know." Alice didn't even try to keep the ruse going at this point. "We're here because rumors of a witch are spreading. You wouldn't have happened to have heard something about that, have you?"

"W-What?" He nearly fell back in his chair, pressing his palm against his forehead in stress.

"Alice, look what you did." Dart turned to his partner accusingly, almost wondering if they barged into the wrong place.

"Well, he obviously knows something. He _works_ here." Her temper rose, shooing away the guilt slogged her way.

"That's true. That I work here, I mean." Dart and Alice both looked to the center to hear the employee speak up. They disregarded it, as he sunk back into his chair silently.

"See?" Alice retorted.

Dart's mouth frustratedly remained shut for a second, thinking of a witty reply. "Maybe he doesn't feel like bein' a hero!"

Alice shot an aside glance, looking at the door behind the employee. "He doesn't have to be. After all, no one's supposed to know about this."

"I can help." Dart and Alice both looked back at the employee with surprise, not expecting him to jump in so eagerly. "W-Well, I'm the security guard here, so, it's my job to handle this stuff. I know the layout, so I can tag along, I guess."

"Are you sure, sir? I appreciate the extra hand and all, but I think me and Alice here got this covered ourselves." Dart slipped a fake cheerfulness into his voice, not wanting to encourage someone else to come along.

"Yes, quite." Alice brushed past Dart and the security guard to the door opposite of the one they came in through. Following behind briskly, Dart jogged, eager to get out.

"Wait, wait, hold on." The security guard hopped out of his chair hastily, knocking it over in the process. He propped it back up before speaking, clearing his throat. "Like I said, I know the layout here. And I've got a gun, just in case we might need that. Who doesn't need a gun, right?" Though his voice quavered, he did bring up a valid point.

Dart's fingers kneaded together in knots, glancing aside as he tried to address the situation. Part of him almost felt like grabbing Alice by the wrist and bolting, but that would only make it more awkward the moment he came back. Not that he disliked the security guard, not at all; in fact, he had a pretty positive impression of the guy so far. _No way around this, huh_? Dart let out a residing breath in his mouth, turning to Alice to gauge her reaction. She had a rather accepting look on her face, to his disappointment. "Um...sure."

"Seth. It's Seth. You guys lead, I'll just hang back and give directions, or something." He popped his gun in his holster, shutting off his computer before letting the two guide the way. Upon stepping out of the security room, Alice was pleasantly surprised to _not _see more empty hallways, this time being greeted with what appeared to be a gargantuan storage room, filled to the brim with metallic boxes which would probably need a crane to lift just one. They paused, wondering where to go through the several aisles and rows of boxes.

"So you know where the witch is, right?" Seth asked.

"Yes, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here, trying to figure out where to go." The classic proverb 'ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer' rang true in that brief interaction, shutting up both parties for a good while.

Breaking up the indecisiveness, Dart spoke. "You know your way 'round here, right? Where can we get from here?"

"Boiler room, cold storage, aaand panic room." He said, pointing towards the left, center, and right of the room.

"Cold-"

"Boiler-"

The meister and weapon locked eyes. Dart looked at Alice tentatively. "You go first."

Alice flipped the hair out of her face casually, acting a bit reserved after that split-second moment. "I was going to suggest going to cold storage first. You?"

"Oh, I was thinking the boiler room." He replied back politely. "We can do cold storage first though! I just thought that, since the cold storage room is so chilly, nobody would wanna wait there for a long while." He presented his theory nonchalantly, so he wouldn't sound too imposing. Alice nodded, raising her index finger slightly in the air before speaking.

"Ah, yes, funny you say that. Actually, I was thinking it would be cold storage for the same reasons. Assuming the witch here has half a brain, they probably know the boiler room would be one of the first rooms checked. Nobody would suspect cold storage because they would assume what you would. _Not _that I'm trying to make any assumptions about your intelligence, not at all." Her reply was equally respectful, but something in her tone gave away other intentions.

"Mmmhmm, I see where you're coming from, yeah. But there's a chance the witch isn't a genius, right? I don't think they teach reverse psychology at witch school, to be a little on the honest side, Alice." In response, Dart caught himself slipping some sarcasm into his voice, to his shame. Alice cleared her throat quickly, readying for a quick rebuttal.

"Yes, Dart, while I am quite impressed with your theory, no. Even a dimmer-minded witch would have the common sense to choose a more obscure hiding spot. The obvious answer is cold storage." She closed her argument with a snap of her fingers, smugly standing there with her eyes closed.

"I-I don't think it's that obvious." Dart stammered, growing a little flustered.

"Well, perhaps not to you." Alice chuckled. "I understand that you put your heart into your 'theory', but in a serious matter like this, we have to put personal feelings aside and use our heads here."

"_Personal feelings?_" The meister's hair shot upward not unlike a cat, now having hit the breaking point. "You've been treatin' this whole thing like a game, Alice! You keep saying 'Let's hunt a witch! Let's hunt a witch!' but you're forgetting all about the people who don't know they could die today!" Alice was taken aback, looking openly offended.

"As if! My drive is what's gotten us this far, Dart! This is no game of chess we're talking here, D. Cay; whatever threat lies here isn't going to pace itself, and if we don't keep ourselves one! Step! Ahead! Of the game, there won't be people to protect!" She shouted back. Her rage matched Dart's in intensity, her fists shaking with anger.

"Alice, what's this about? The lives here or becoming Death Scythe?" His eyes remained locked onto his partner, while she took in the question, teeth gritted and staring away. Utter silence.

Well, except for footsteps. It seemed like just a second ago Seth was behind them; now he was miles away, walking straight ahead towards the cold storage room. "He seems to have his head in the right place." Alice sneered, with the most gloating look on her face. Dart stuck his tongue out at her the moment she looked away. They followed, jogging behind him. Wordlessly, he spun open the wheel-shaped lock on the door, shooting a blast of frigid air upon opening it. "Where, where…" Seth spoke, but he didn't seem to be addressing Dart nor Alice. The relatively small room was filled with what one would expect: ice, bags of it Some thawed meat hung there too, probably for the animals. Seth's eyes remained plastered to the floor however, searching the entire room in panic before stopping to the immediate right of the room's entrance. "There!" Dart caught a glimpse of some kind of a wee lizard next to a winter coat and some jeans before Seth scooped the tiny thing in his hands, carrying it outside of the room and placing it on the floor. "Shoo, shoo!" He whispered harshly. The tiny reptile's bobbed, almost like a nod. It scampered away out of sight, hiding among the maze of boxes throughout the room. Seth shut the cold storage door shut with his foot.

"Wow Seth, you actually saved that lizard! How'd you know it was there?" Dart asked, looking at the security guard in awe.

"Y'know...Zoo instincts." He shrugged. With the lizard gone, his demeanor seemed to return to normal, no longer talking to himself and all.

"Yes, very astute of you. Where to next?" Alice's eyes wandered back to the cold storage room, almost like she was silently pleading to investigate it some more.

"I've got an idea." Seth led the way, confidently leading the two.

* * *

><p>Dart kept his eyes peeled to the floor as he made his way down the ladder to the panic room, wondering if the witch awaited them at the bottom. With the reptile house already being far underground, one had to question just how <em>deep<em> this room was into the earth. Dart shook the thought away, letting himself drop from the ladder to the bottom. Seth jiggled around with a key in the dark, taking a minute or so before he finally got the door to open. With a flip of a switch, the lights came on, revealing a room that left Dart with only one word: "Wow."

"Yep. Panic room." Even if Seth had worked here for a while, Dart couldn't comprehend how he could take a room like this in stride-a fully-sized, fully-decorated theater. Rows of cushioned seats lined the room, stopping at the main stage, partially blocked off by two fine red curtains. "You guys might wanna grab seats now, because it's gonna get crowded. Soon." Dart gave him a thumbs-up and nodded, grabbing a seat towards the front.

The sound of mic static roared to life from the speakers up front, slowly getting less grainy with each passing second. "_People of the reptile house, we are in a state of emergency, I repeat, we are in a state of emergency. Follow the nearest uniformed worker to our designated panic room, I repeat follow the nearest worker…_" Seth's voice echoed over an intercom, repeating and reiterating himself many times before it started to get dull, and Dart began to space out, staring towards the stage, alone. Alice didn't sit next to him, and thank god for that. Now, Dart didn't even want to so much as see her face. So, in an effort to distract himself from his own anger, he stared at the stage. What kind of acts would they put on? There didn't seem to be any performers, and they certainly wouldn't be able to bring animals. Who knows? Maybe Seth had a nice singing voice, underneath all that squeakiness. He wondered-

_THUD._

* * *

><p>Utter darkness. Even with his eyes open, Dart could see nothing in his peripheral vision. Feeling a nasty bump on his head, Dart instinctively reached to rub it...and couldn't. His right wrist only lifted off an inch or two off the ground at most, accompanied by some metal rattling. The same applied for his other arm, and legs. "Am...Am I tied up?" He asked aloud, to anyone in particular. "Seth? Y'there buddy? Seth? SETH!" He cried.<p>

"Dude, I'm right here." Some lights came on, and Dart could get a better grasp of his surroundings. He was lying on polished yellow floorboards, and in front of him, he could vaguely make out some seats, sat in by barely visible people, obscured by the selective lighting. It was only then that he realized he was on-stage, visible to all in the theater.

"What's goin' on? Tell me I'm just a volunteer for a surprise magic trick here…" He continually tugged at his constraints, but to no avail.

"Yeah! I mean, yeah, sort of. You have the opportunity to make a whole theater happy right now. Is that cool with you?" He asked, skimming around the details.

"O-Oh sure! What do I gotta do?" Dart took a deep breath, trying to relax as best he could. The theater was dead silent, but he could still feel an entire room's worth of stares on him.

"All you gotta do is offer up your soul to the great witch."

"...Run that by me one more time."

"Oh, shit…" Seth was audibly disappointed, as if he expected any different results. "Let me rephrase that, actually. It's a vanishing act! You disappear, the great witch appears, and...you don't come back."

"_Seth!_" Dart shook in his chains again, while every fiber in his being told him to run.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you're helping the human race advance in the future." More nonsense. Dart thrashed about, thumping his back against the floor until it ached, and then some. "Man, watch out, you're gonna mess up the magic circle. Don't worry too much though, I've got more paint." Dart looked down, and gasped. Thick red paint lined the floor, forming two circles with him snagged dead in the center of the innermost one. Shapes and symbols he had never seen before took up the remaining space. The audience, to his horror, reacted with cheers and excitement rather than outrage.

_What kinda sick audience…_ Dart thought, squinting as he tried to get a better view of the seats ahead.

"Now, uh, witches, if you would lend me some of your magic power, that'd be great." Seth opened his arms wide, and the audience rose.

"_Soul Protect: Release…_" Dart heard the phrase spoken over and over again from the audience, hundreds of different voices speaking at once.

"HRK!" Dart felt his gut rise, and just for a moment, he could see something beyond his eyesight, like a third eye only now opening. Horrible, horrible powers laid there in that audience. Inhuman, even. _Does this mean...everyone in the reptile house was…! _Dart flashed back just hours ago, during the initial search in the reptile house. Men, women, and children were there, hiding themselves in plain sight. It would explain why nobody seemed to care about the imminent witch threat; they _were_ the emergency. Dart's 'third eye' faded once the witches sat back down; hiding their magic, maybe? Seth's left hand glowed with a rancid purple energy, presumably siphoned from the audience.

"And the great witch herself…" From somewhere out of Dart's immediate vision, Seth left and returned with a caged animal: a snake, lined with peculiar black and yellow patterns. He placed it dangerously close to Dart's head, with the cage being the only thing separating him and its jaws. "No human vessel may do her justice. She must be returned to her own flesh and blood." The words came out of his mouth smooth and fluid, like reciting a nursery rhyme you've known from birth. "Oh, by the way, you wanna get any last words in before this whole body-transfer thing happens?"

Dart paused, thinking for a moment. "Well, for one, you're probably the nicest cultist I've met so far. They should give you a raise in your...uh...witch-worshipping...clan."

Seth smiled earnestly. "I try my best. Now then, let us begin."

"W-Wait!" Dart raised his hand as high as he could, interrupting Seth. "Alice, if you're here, and you can hear me..._SORRY!_" It wasn't much, but it was the most he could make out of five seconds left of time.

He withdrew a book the size of his palm from his pocket, flipping open to a bookmarked page. "_Vivificabit goni!_" His glowing left hand began to sizzle, shining brighter and brighter until it hit its peak. He pointed it at the magic circle, and by extension, Dart, who was now thrashing as much as possible. The malevolent purple drew closer, until…

"YOU WISH!" A voice shouted from the rafters, standing just in front of a spotlight. It didn't take Dart long for him to recognize the voice.

"_Alice?!_" Dart cried. Her hands grabbed hold of the railing, put one knee forward. The crowd members erupted into screams and shouts, heckling her sudden appearance.

"Now then, OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" She jumped off the railing, morphing her arm into a blade as she bounced off the top rung. Seth panicked, going into full deer-in-the-headlights mode while Alice came speeding down. At the last second, he clumsily rolled out of the way, dropping the book in the chaos. The blade plunged into the floorboards, missing its mark by a good margin. "Oh, to hell with it!" She severed the chains bounding Dart, still on her knees from the force of the fall.

"Thanks!" Dart sprung to his feet immediately, glaring at Seth. Despite already being armed with magic, he whipped out his gun from his holster anyway, keeping them pinned to the spot.

"Flee, brothers and sisters! Don't expose yourselves here! We'll reconvene at the bowling alley or something-" While his focus was turned to the audience, he was met with a flying dropkick, knocking him towards the stage's far left.

"That was for leading me on!" Dart cracked his knuckles, daring his supposed friend to take a swing. Alice transformed completely, her sword form falling right into Dart's grasp.

"Uh…" Seth looked down at his gun, and then his still-glowing hand. He shrugged, shooting his left hand forward.

"Ah!" Dart swerved out of the way, narrowly dodging a purple bolt aimed for his head. Dart ran to center stage, keeping Alice raised high.

"He's frail, but keep your guard up. A well-placed bullet or magic attack could ruin us." Alice advised. Her partner nodded, watching the bottom-left of the stage carefully.

And then, Dart's vision was stripped, practically blind in the dark. A single spotlight came on, shining down on Dart and Alice. _BANG! _A bullet whizzed through Dart's hair, nearly turning his head to mush. Dart dashed away, but the spotlight trailed behind him, tracking his every move. Whether it moved autonomously or someone was controlling it remained a mystery. "Look for violet!" Alice ordered, while Dart raced in circles trying to keep the light away. In the dark, the meister could faintly make out a radiant purple as Alice had said, but every attempt to try and strike it only resulted in slashing at thin air.

"Watch out-!" Alice cried, but it was already too late. Dart felt as if someone had prodded his back with a hot poker. He fell over, his back burning from the crackling magic. He leapt up, only to be fried again, this time landing on his stomach.

"C'mon, I need you alive for this…" Seth's voice was close. His face was painted a sinister purple from the glow of the magic, highlighting his reluctant eyes and the beads of sweat dripping downward. He took a step closer, and closer, while Dart just stared upward at the security guard.

_Just be a little patient, and…_ His thoughts raced, but his body remained still, going against all of his natural instincts. Now, Seth was literal inches away from Dart, pacing himself carefully.

"Dart! Do something!" Alice yelled, sounding on the verge of jumping out of her weapon form. That was his cue. His right leg whipped across the floor in a lightning-quick jolt, sweeping Seth off the ground in one fluid motion. Dart shot up and ran to the stage's right, off into the shadows, while the spotlight now transferred its attention to Seth. He fired blind shots at Dart, missing him by a landslide with each shot. Dart could make out some metal stairs just a few feet in front of him, no doubt leading to the rafters. He hurried upward, while Seth spammed magic bolts in an effort to possibly get lucky and illuminate Dart's location. When he reached the rafters, the security guard failed to realize he was even up there.

"Hey, up here!" Dart shouted.

"You just gave away our location!" Alice was angry, and for good reason. Sort of. Dart had a plan laid out, but it wasn't exactly tactical genius, nor were the fine details set in stone. Seth's eyes went wide once he saw Dart, shooting bullets and magic rapid-fire. Dart dove, while the rafters shook heavily from the concentrated assault. The shots that missed hit the stage equipment attached to the ceiling, causing the whole room to rumble.

"_It's not as bad-_" A spotlight fell from above, the glass shattering into pieces upon impact. "_as you think it is, Dart!_" Sparks flew from his hand, charging up for one last-ditch attack.

"The thing is," He lowered his blade to his hips. "I know what's good for me, and this," Aura trailed downward from Seth's hand, releasing a sphere as big as Dart at him. "_THIS ISN'T MY FUTURE!_" The sword crashed against the sphere, sending it blistering back to its source. Yellow floorboards were vaporized in a miniscule explosion, comparable to the destructive force of a grenade, creating a smokescreen across the stage floor. "Did I...did I get him?" His eyes squinted, curiously searching for Seth. Eventually, the scene became clearer, revealing, to their dismay, a completely unharmed Seth, crouching just inches away from the site of the blast.

"...That's coming out of my paycheck, isn't it?" He looked at the gaping hole in the stage floor with dread, before turning his gaze to the rafters. "S-So, are you thinking it over, or…?" The ceiling rumbled again, this time accompanied by the snapping of a rope. A black blur dropped downward, too quick for anyone to register. A pitiful cry came from the stage; Seth's voice.

Alice de-transformed, peeking over the rail. "Got him." Dart stepped forward, looking for himself.

"Ooohhh…" Dart cringed at the sight of it. A sizeable anvil eclipsed the security guard's legs, leaving him gasping for air and writhing in pain. His finger squeezed the trigger repeatedly, but he was returned with nothing but empty clicks. His borrowed magic had also weakened considerably, barely able to fire farther than two inches. But their peril hadn't ended yet. The previously fancy room now felt as if it had it the breaking point, as the ceiling began to crumble apart, along with all of the heavy equipment that clung to it. The rafters weren't safe from instability either, making it a mystery whether the next step could be their last. The meister and weapon stood unmoving, trying to maintain their footing while moving as little as possible. Alice looked downward at the failing support, and then at the cracking chips of tile falling from above. "Alice, what're you…" Out of the blue, Alice lunged at him, shoving him off the rafters. Falling, Dart gaped at his weapon in pure shock, reaching futilely. The platform, weighed down by fallen equipment and battered from magic attacks, gave in, collapsing into a storm of cold metal with the rest of the stage sets. The blonde of Alice's locks remained in plain sight, visible even among the rain of other equipment. Her eyes were gently shut, and not a single noise escaped from her mouth, as if she was content with such a fate. The chaos barely lasted for a blink of an eye, but for Dart the hellish moment felt like minutes.

"ALICE!" He immediately ran to the wreckage, feeling a burning in his throat as he desperately tried to heave through the heavy equipment all in hopes of finding her, alive or… "No, no, no!" His hands reached the barren floor. A childlike fury overcame Dart, throwing whatever stood in his way without even giving it a thorough search. He went on for minutes, only stopping once his body ceased all action, dropping onto the mess of parts while his brain shouted commands.

"_Agh!_" From the far back of the stage, Dart heard a gasp for air. The meister looked upward hopefully, and let out the biggest sigh of relief in his life. In the sea of black, Alice's hand shot upward, and her head rose amongst the dark sea. The meister wasted no time in running over to her, hoisting her onto solid ground.

The weapon coughed, and Dart backed off a bit to give her space. "A-Alice, I thought you were dead! You-you shoved me out of the way! I appreciate it a lot, but you know you could've, you almost..." Alice barely reacted, brushing the debris off her clothes like this was another monday morning, to his confusion.

"Don't be so surprised. It's my duty as a weapon to do these things." She said, meeting Dart's eyes with an indifferent gaze.

Dart hesitated, before distraughtly speaking. "Don't...Don't do that." Earlier, he had chastised Alice for being selfish, but now her actions spoke the opposite, perhaps too much in that regard. She dismissed the subject with a wave of the hand, walking past him nonchalantly.

"U-Unngh…" Dart had almost forgotten about the now-crippled Seth, too wrapped up in his own pain to notice them, let alone fight back. The meister gently poked him with his foot, drawing his attention. His eyes refocused, staring upward at the two hazily.

"What's the verdict? He _did_ try to kill you." Alice asked, using a handkerchief to glisten the surface of her partially transformed arm.

"Yeah, but he's not a Kishin egg, right? He was our buddy about twenty minutes ago. I don't feel right killin' him." Dart used his fingers to shut the man's eyes, letting him doze off into unconsciousness. The pair met eyes, looked back at Seth, and then nodded, satisfied with their decision as they headed off of the stage.

* * *

><p>"...They're about this tall, see? The boy, Dart, he's got some frazzled black hair, his weapon partner's blonde, she has really scary eyes, both white…" At the zoo's main gates, Joe scribbled a rough sketch into a notebook, speaking too fast for the police officer to process at once.<p>

"Oh hey, Mister Buttataki, over here!" Dart waved, speeding his pace as he jogged over to the man.

"Be quiet Dart, I'm trying to find you so I don't lose my job." Joe pointed to the rushed drawing more aggressively, breaking into a sweat. His mouth shut, pausing for a solid three seconds before snapping around in surprise. "_Ohthankgod._" The words came out without pause, more like a breath of relief than an actual sentence. Another officer entered the scene, tapping the present one on the shoulder.

"The situation got figured out, aparently. Had the entire squadron search the whole place; not a single witch." The second officer explained. His cohort's eyes sparkled, before hastily stuffing his weapon away and kicking open the gates.

"I've been standing here for ages! I'm not even mad, just glad it's over! You civilians can go home; our 'work' here is done!" He strided over to his parked car and sped off, leaving billowing dust clouds in his wake.

Joe put his hands on his hips and breathed deeply through his nose, smiling proudly. "So, now that you guys took a step back and smelled the roses, you must be feeling all refreshed and energized now, right?" Just as he finished asking, he heard two resound _thumps_, causing him to look downward. Buttataki scratched his head, looking at the two collapsed students on the sidewalk, sleeping like logs. "You know...I should ask for a raise when I get back."

* * *

><p>Silence and darkness. A great combination, really, especially for fellows like Seth who jump at their own shadows. The ritual failed spectacularly, and getting second contact with the witches after that would be far from easy. The pain had faded from his legs, thankfully, but moving them was out of the question. Not with the anvil on them, at least. The security guard pawed backwards with his hands, slowly trying to wiggle out of the anvil's grasp. <em>One, two. One, two. One, two. <em>An arduous process, but it was working. He could feel the metal weight slipping. Then, Seth stopped. His slightly-glowing left hand had hit something unlike the rest of the dry floorboards; rather moist and wet in texture. His head turned back, getting a better view of what he had touched.

_Red paint._

"Oh no." Seth's hand jerked away from the magic circle immediately. His relief was not quelled in the slightest when the circle began to glow, and his hand went dark: a transfer of magic. _B-But the host isn't here, so it'll be fine. Everything's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be okay. Okayokayokayokayokayokay-_

"_Hss._" Seth nearly screamed. Black, beady eyes stared at him in his world of dark. There was no doubt: it was the snake. A sudden spark of pain jolted in his arm, as two pairs of fangs bit down onto his flesh. His free arm tried to bash the animal, but the snake's bite seemed to freeze his body, slowing his movements to a crawl. He slid across the floor as the snake pulled, drawing him closer to the baleful light radiated by the circle.

"No, no, please! I brought you here! You can't do this!" Seth pleaded and pleaded to the snake from the center of the circle, who merely slithered away and watched intently. The circle itself seemed to roar with delight with the sacrifice in place, alternating between deep, mocking laughter and maniacal, starved screams. "_KILL ME! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANT TO!_" He burst into full-on tears, begging to forces who had no care in them to listen. Cold, bony hands sprouted from the ground and seized his body, grasping and tugging on Seth's body. The circle took its time in dragging Seth through the floor and into the abyss, forcing his eyes open with prying fingers.

Days later, the previously grand panic room was searched, finding no traces of anyone, save for a small book, and a security guard's outfit laying right next to a paint spill.

* * *

><p>The witch opened her eyes to her new surroundings. She clenched and unclenched her fingers, stood on her toes, and felt the texture of her hair. It all felt comfortably familiar to her. Yes, she reasoned, this was her body. A resurrection? She looked downward to confirm her theory. A red blotch sat right under her feet, as well as some hapless fool's clothing. "Well now, how gracious of you." She smirked, pulling her hood up as she walked to the exit barefoot.<p>

**AN: Hey, back again. I gotta say, I'm pretty excited to finally be treading into plot territory (and I'm thankful that you guys have waited so long to get into it). As always, if you have any criticisms or tips, I highly encourage you to leave a review so I can improve upon them next chapter. And for questions, you can either ask in the review, or my inbox is always open, both are equally acceptable. See ya next chapter!**


	17. Ill-fated blood! Transformation, now?

**AN: Before I begin, a brief shout-out and special thanks to shinigamiing on tumblr for taking the time to beta read this chapter. Reading through and revising thirty Google Docs pages of a stranger's fic takes patience and effort, and for that, I wholeheartedly thank them.**

A crowd of students were gathered on the DWMA's front grounds, just outside the main entrance. Their attention was drawn to a set-up stage, but the allure of entertainment wasn't all that they were in for. For one, it was headed by that enigmatic staff member, Eibon, the secluded, quiet man bound entirely in wraps. The Seniors also spread around that he was a turning factor in winning the battle against Arachnophobia a while back, that was, in their words, would be 'too difficult to describe', giving the students all the more reason to see the hermit in action. That, and whoever cared to watch got to skip forty-five minutes worth of class. Lord Death stood affably to the side on the stage, playing the role of the lovely assistant while Eibon took center stage.

"And for his next trick, Eibon here is going to saw me in half, _without using his hands!_" The grim reaper declared, hamming it up with a loud and boisterous tone. The crowd split into surprised gasps and skeptical whispers, but all of them were watching, wondering if he intended to go through with his claim.

"Gah, I ain't watching this kids' stuff." Julian turned away frumpily, pretending not to be associated with the rest of the audience. "Cass, you're not seriously into this, are you?" He turned to his meister, who was anxiously trying to get a better look at the stage before simply floating above. She was watching the performance with awe, seemingly completely tuned out to Julian. Reluctantly, he decided to get a better look for himself, just to see what the hype was about.

With Lord Death lying on the table, Eibon raised his left arm carefully and slowly. His fingers criss-crossed, moving in almost mechanical fashion. A small, hand-operated saw vibrated in place, rattling the whole stage. The saw became highlighted with a blue hue, while Eibon's fingers began to steady, pointing his index finger upward at a fifty degree angle. The saw followed, lifting off the ground in a gradual, unwavering movement. Julian's jaw dropped, now just as dumbstruck as Cassiel as he watched the tool move closer to the table, just above Lord Death._ He can't actually be doing it_… His head turned to the side, but still curiously watched from the corner of his eye. Lord Death remained eerily still, looking at the saw with hollow eyes. Eibon was actually going to go through with it. There wasn't a body double in place, nor was there anything obscuring Lord Death. Without warning, the jagged blade crashed downward, piercing the air in a single slice. Julian averted his eyes immediately, sloppily brushing his hair with a handheld comb in an effort to salvage his pride. Once the initial gasps and screams died down, Julian let himself gaze upon it.

"Ta-da!" Lord Death sat up on the table, looking about half his usual size. His lower half wriggled in a wavy sort of way, almost like dancing. The two halves met, and spun, screwing onto each other until everything was right in its place. The crowd whooped and cheered in response, and even Julian found himself hesitantly clapping at the display. Although, what stuck out more to him, was Eibon's reaction, or lack thereof. His gaze stretched long beyond Death City, looking through his metal mask with what Julian could only assume was an expression of deep-seated emptiness. To say it creeped him out would be underselling it. A pair of hands gripped his shoulders from behind, scaring the hell out of him.

"Julian! That was _amazing! _The saw moved to his whim! And he floats!" Her arms shook with excitement as she spoke, contrasting with Julian, still trying to catch up with what she was saying.

"Yeah, whoop-de-doo. You ready?" Classes weren't much better, but he'd rather stare at the chalkboard for another hour and a half than stand another minute in the burning weather.

Cassiel didn't answer. Her arms were stretched out behind her back, smiling coyly at Julian. The weapon's eyebrows furrowed, waiting impatiently for her to speak up. He sighed. "What, Cass?" She blinked, still smiling. Without a word, she presented a notebook, open to a page with 'AUTOGRAPHS' written neatly at the top. Julian rubbed his eyelids in annoyance, before giving a definite answer. "Fine."

"Yes!" Cassiel threw her arms up in triumph, waltzing towards the departing Eibon heading towards the academy's side.

"The old man blind or something? Main entrance's that way." Eibon dragged his feet as he took the far less populated path, leading to the west entrance, and unbeknownst to him, Cassiel and Julian trailed behind.

"Hmm…" Cassiel was completely wrapped up in the pursuit, not paying any attention to anyone or anything. Once inside, it took only seconds to figure out where Eibon was going.

The academy basement.

Cassiel felt an instinctual panic the moment she saw the staircase from the half-open door. She knew it to be ridiculous, but some part of her feared that when she reached the bottom, someone would grab her and force her back into that cramped, isolated room. _No, for Eibon. I must have his signature!_ She clenched her fists in front of the door, summoning all of her courage. She hadn't returned to the room since leaving, and she had no intention of ever going back in.

Julian took the first step in, turning to Cassiel with an understanding expression. "Hey, you still want that signature, right? The old man's headed down there, should be pretty easy to find him." He continued, trotting down the stairs without fear. She followed quickly, staying as close to him as possible without making her fear too obvious. Cassiel purposely activated her aura vision to selectively focus on Eibon, shaking away any distractions. At last, the wizard took a detour, and entered what Cassiel presumed to be his room with a heaving sigh. She waited for him to settle, giving him some space before making the first move. She rapped on the door lightly three times, taking in breaths almost too big to contain. With her vision, the Esper watched the old man hobble back up, floating to the door in a ghostlike glide. His mask was pressed up against the thin slits in the door, saying nothing. "Who...who are you?" His voice was wrought with suspicion and paranoia, the doorknob not so much as fidgeting.

Cassiel held her notebook just under her chin, clutching it tight in both hands. "Mister Eibon! It is a privilege to meet you! I am known as Cassiel, and-"

"Cassiel? You-you're the Esper child, aren't you?" Eibon backed away from the door, to Cassiel's confusion. She hurriedly deactivated her aura vision, forgetting how her eyes glowed in that state.

"Y-Yes! That would be I, is there something…"

"No! Your bloodline-I want no part of it! Begone! My luck is already failing as-of-late, I have no need for another jinx!" He shouted. Cassiel stood there motionlessly, her hands quivering with the paper and pen while her mouth hung open in a state of shock.

Julian kicked against the door, hard. "Go ahead and bite it, ya relic! You'll be missed by every cheap-ass magician around! Let's ditch, Cass." He grabbed his meister by the wrist, storming away from the wizard's room. Although she didn't resist, Cassiel still looked backward at Eibon's room regretfully, wondering what, if anything, she had done wrong. Julian remained silent, but he seemed intent on getting out of the underground area, stubbornly stomping ahead.

Upon hitting ground level, Julian slammed a door for the second time out of disgust. "Let's skip the rest of today," he proposed out of the blue.

Cassiel blinked. "W-Why?"

Julian turned to his meister with a smarmy grin. "Cass, c'mon. It's only for a day, and it's halfway done too. Besides, don't you think you deserve one after…" He tapped his shoe on the door leading to the basement. "_that_?"

Cassiel rested her chin on her fist, contemplating the idea. "Julian, skipping school, that's.. wrong, is it not?" She said, pacing around while she mulled it over. _No doubt, of course it is...But it FEELS right. I agree, but at the same time, I don't? _She took a breath, firmly halting in front of Julian. "Partner, though I want to-"

"Alright, sounds good." Julian finished for her, dragging a very morally confused Esper straight out the academy doors.

* * *

><p>Nika glanced up at the clock, then her watch, then the clock again. She said nothing, tapping on the gym floor again and again with a pointed frown on her face. Ten, twenty, thirty seconds passed. Her watch beeped, signifying that five minutes had gone by. She let out an outraged gasp, drawing her friends' attention to her. "Un-believable. You guys know it's been five minutes and a teacher <em>still <em>hasn't arrived?"

"Terrible, I know." Georgina's voice was flat, sitting on the bleachers as her eyes scanned the page of some graphic novel left and right.

"Hey, you shouldn't be-" Nika objected.

An ignoring hand from her sister cut her off."Ssshhh, I gotta take this." Nicolette shushed her, taking a few steps away from the group to answer a call. "...Yeah? I can talk."

"Don't 'ssshhh' me! This is a serious issue!" she said, to no one's concern.

"Maybe the teacher needs a sub? Oh, Nika!" Joaquin coughed in her direction, getting a hell of a death glare in return.

"I know what you're thinking, and _no_," she fired back, eliciting a chuckle from Joaquin as he rolled over on his side.

"_Cole._" Nika desperately turned to her fellow weapon, who was patiently awaiting for the lesson to start as always. "Tell me you have an opinion about this. Tell me you think this an utter atrocity, and we, as responsible students, have to do something to fix this."

Cole paused, looking aside like he was about to give a thoughtful answer. "Nika, although I very much understand your perspective...I don't care." He shrugged sympathetically, brushing off the puppy-dog eyes she was giving him.

Nika flopped onto the gym floor in anguish, groaning loudly. "Do _none_ of you have anything to contribute?"

"_A-hem._" A painfully obvious throat-clearing came from Georgina's direction, but it wasn't her voice. She flipped a page, yawning as she reclined further into her seat. Nika sighed deeply.

"Yes, Malphas." She rolled her eyes, bracing herself for obnoxiousness.

"You said you asked everyone. And you didn't," he said, the smugness in his tone begging for a reply.

"And what do you want me to do about that?"

"Ask me if I care!"

Nika irritatedly rubbed her eyelids. "Malphas, do you care that the teacher is go-"

"_No._" He hooted with laughter, a sound that would later be ingrained into her nightmares as she laid her head against the rubbery gym floor.

* * *

><p><em>Y'know, when I said "Hey Cass, let's skip school.", this isn't what I had in mind. <em>Julian's eyes began to sting from staring at the TV screen for so long, but Cassiel didn't seem weary of it at all. The past hour since they got home, they had just been lying on opposite ends of the couch, flipping through various channels that struggled to hold interest for more than a few minutes. He had seen Cassiel go through different stages of unhappiness before, but what Julian saw right now looked like genuine depression. He tried waving a hand in front of her face, adjusting the TV volume to be ridiculously loud or ear-strainingly quiet, and kicking her lightly with his foot, to no avail. Part of him wanted to ask what was wrong, but he already knew. _Her hero, the ONE GUY she idolizes the most, turned out to be racist as hell. What are the odds?_ Julian thought. He settled in the cushions, his body sinking deeper and deeper into the squishy material. _It'll blow over. _Julian assured himself. _I'm gonna wake up, and everything'll be as good as new. _The weapon kicked off his shoes, closing his eyelids to shield himself from the harsh gleam of the high afternoon sun through the window.

Julian awoke to a world of dark. The TV still ran in the background, and the aromatic scent of the couch cushions still wafted up his nose. Could he have gone blind? No, it was impossible. He could see himself fine, clear as day in fact. "What the hell…?" He mumbled to himself.

"Partner? Where did you-" He could hear Cassiel call for him, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Cass! I'm over...uh..." He may as well have given a map to a blind man. Each shade of black was indistinguishable from the last.

"Julian, have you disappeared? I can hear you, yet…" A loud shuffling broke up the noise of the TV, before colors flooded in. "J-Julian?" A giant hand picked him up, and now Cassiel's face took up his primary view.

_Oh, _Julian realized. _I'm in my weapon form. Must've happened while I was napping. Yeah, that's gonna be a problem... _"Cass, what's with the bug eyes? You're freakin' out." She wobbled the tip of his weapon form around, wide-eyeing it like nothing she had seen before.

"It's just... You look so _different._"

Julian's eyebrows twitched, trying to make sense of it all. "What are you _talking _about? It feels the same! I'm gonna look in a mirror or something…" He grumbled. A second passed. "...Right, yeah, the mirror." He tapped his foot inside his weapon form's space, waiting for it to happen. "And to do that, I'm gonna untransform. Unnnntransform. Open sesame! Alakazam! _Untransform!_" For god's sake, how'd he do it before? No magic words seemed to do the trick, leaving him in this strange new form. "...Cass, could you take me in front of a mirror?"

And so she did.

"_WHAT? _Aw, nope, nah, nonono _NO. _It's-it's-_nnrgh..._" The reality of it was too horrifying for Julian. He turned away, pouting in the other direction. Cassiel twirled his weapon form around, looking him in the eyes.

"Partner, you must be reasonable. I'm sure there is far more combat potential than you give it credit for! And...and it's so adorable!" She squealed just a little bit at Julian, who still refused to accept it.

"Cass, there's a thing humans do, so I'll be generous and fill ya in. 'Combat potential' and 'magic wand' don't go _IN THE SAME SENTENCE._" Or, perhaps it did, but that was the last thing he wanted to acknowledge. No way would Cassiel go riding into battle carrying that mess of a weapon. It was just so...silly. It had the same cylindrical shape as his plasma whip form, but much simpler in design, without any sort of grip or notches on it. Well, besides the big honking yellow ribbon tied near the top. "You...you don't think I'm stuck like this, do you? I don't wanna get tucked in or anything like that."

"Say no more, partner!" Cassiel limbered up on the balcony, putting one foot forward on the stone railing before taking to the sky.

* * *

><p>Nine minutes, fifty-six seconds. Nine minutes, fifty-seven seconds. Nine minutes, fifty-eight seconds. Nine minutes, fifty-nine seconds. Ten minutes without a teacher. <em>No, no more! I won't be complacent with this!<em> Nika inhaled a large gasp of air, standing up from her spot on the floor.

"SorryI'mlate!" The gym door slammed open, knocking Nika back to the ground in sheer surprise. Miss Mjolnir hastened to the front of the gym, wearing a referee's uniform. Nika let out a breath of relief that had long been sitting in her since the beginning of class. Nika let herself lounge, only sitting halfway up, using her arms for support. Miss Marie's assignments were usually pretty light at best, providing a break in the competitiveness of her other classes. "So sorry if I scared any of you, I was worried that you might have…" Marie looked over the class of bored teenagers, some even already asleep. "Yeah, never mind. Anyway, by virtue of it being _fuuuuunnnn friday_, you have two choices for today: fifty laps around the school, or dodgeball. Raise your hands for fifty laps!" She paused, scanning over the disinterested room. "Any takers?" She bit her lip, still hopefully looking around. A student in the very back jolted awake, stretching his arms as he came to. "Oh, we have a volunteer!"

"Oh, I was just stretchi-"

"I saw that hand go up, you. No need to be shy, we're all proud of you!" She gave the unlucky student a quiet round of applause, perhaps in the hopes that others would join in. The student's eyes darted left and right, before standing up and taking quite possibly the saddest walk to the outside door Nika had ever seen. The door shut, and once again, silence. Marie closed her eyes and shook her head, still clapping even after he had left. "We, as an academy, need to be more like that brave soul. An inspiration to us all…" Her head bowed, letting a moment of silence sink in. "Moving on, _DODGEBALL!_ Places, everyone!" In a heartbeat, the whistle shrieked, scrambling the students into chaos before regaining order in moments, forming a straight line from one end of the gym to the other.

"Hey, eyepatch! What are the teams?! It's bloodshed o'clock, and I'm on a tight schedule!" Malphas' voice boomed from across the gym, causing those around Georgina to spread around.

"Good question, Georgina! It's students versus teachers today-though I don't appreciate your tone." Marie replied, oblivious to Malphas' presence.

Georgina tried her best to wrangle the fidgeting Demon Arm, placing her palm wherever his mouth reappeared on it. "W-Wait, Miss Marie, that wasn't m-"

"That wasn't her! Over here! The _ARM! _Fear me!" Malphas continued to shout, drawing further attention to himself from everyone but Ms. Mjolnir. "H-Hey, don't turn around! Your ancestors were afraid of me, dammit!" Malphas sniffled. "_Someone please acknowledge me…_"

Nika peered at Miss Marie, who was standing off to the sidelines, checking her watch. All the students were gathered on one half of the gym, while a teacher had yet to appear on the other. _What fully-fledged teacher has enough time to play a game of dodgeball anyway? _Her eyes remained steadily focused on the door, trying to anticipate just who was coming.

The gym doors swung open, revealing a face that Nika had forgotten for a solid two years. That self-assured, leisurely stride. A full-toothed grin, nothing worth more than a passing glance as she walked ahead. She flipped the red hair out of her eyes as she engaged a conversation with Miss Marie that Nika couldn't hope to listen in on. _Victoria... _Nika side-eyed the brawny woman with contempt.

Nicolette leaned in closer to Nika, lowering her shades to verify what she saw. "You see her?" Her voice came out sharp and quick; the kind of tone Nika only heard when she knew her sister lost her cool. Nika glanced at her sister and nodded briefly, still looking at Victoria through the corner of her eye. She continued to chat up Miss Mjolnir, though her gaze wandered across the gym, until she made brief eye contact with Nika. The meister's focus darted away, hoping she didn't notice. Brisk footsteps were coming her way. Nicolette was already gone. Nika froze, desperately searching for a distraction. She fumbled in her pockets, her hands grabbing aimlessly.

_My phone...it's still in my locker! _Nika looked across the room at her sister, with her phone in-hand as she leaned against the wall with her clique, far away from Nika. _Damn you and your resourcefulness! _Her fist shook in her pocket, swearing revenge when they got home.

"Hey, you!" Nika almost forgot about what she was freaking out about in the first place until a light elbow to the chest broke her conversation. She immediately went into deer-in-the-headlights mode, unable to stare anywhere else but straight in front of her; at Victoria. "It's been awhile, Miss Perfect! You _better _not have broken that zero-mistake streak since I graduated." She said, looming over her with a teasing smirk. Nika was stunned into silence, her mouth quivering for words.

When Nika couldn't answer, Victoria's smirk disappeared. "Oi, you know I was joking with the 'Miss Perfect' thing, right? Don't tell me you forgot about me now. Rippling muscles, red hair, back in Class Crescent Moon? Nika?"

The meister pulled herself together, tugging at her collar while trying to look natural. She forced a smile, shaking hands with her former classmate. "O-Of course! After all, what's two years between friends?"

* * *

><p>Mira Nygus went through the medicine cabinets, searching each bottle, can, and package just in case something seemed suspicious. After Medusa Gorgon lost her position as nurse, the DWMA spared no expense in making sure the position she left behind was absolutely purged of any of her negative influence. None of the students' health records were altered or stolen, thankfully, but what worried them was the absence of something: the Black Blood. No obvious black liquid was found in any of the drawers or cabinets, leaving the staff to wonder if she had destroyed the evidence, taken it with her, or the worst case scenario; somehow slipping it into the medicine. And that was precisely why Nygus started up this little project to begin with. Under no circumstances would she allow a student's health to be at risk by the fault of a nurse, whether the blame was hers or Gorgon's. Oh, and Sid was there too, bringing him along with the excuse of a 'fall cleanout' or something along those lines.<p>

"Mira, do we really need to do all of this? We've both worked here long enough to know that Lord Death doesn't expect it to be spotless."

"Don't lose your work ethic yet, Sid. I know you're dead tired-" Nygus stopped herself, giving an apologetic look to the zombie. "-Sorry. Besides, I'll be done any minute now." Sid grumbled something, applying a fresh layer of sheets to one of the beds.

_Thump. _Behind the curtains, something clashed against the window, making a prolonged rubbery noise against the glass. "It's noises like that that I never have a good feeling about. My zombie senses are tingling."

"That isn't a thing, Sid. It was probably a bird." She replied coolly, checking the last of the medicine.

"You ever heard the phrase 'Leave no stone unturned'?" Sid persisted, narrowing his eyes at the curtains.

"Yes. Still not checking it." She shut the cabinet doors, feeling satisfied with her inspection. She was just about to head out when Sid stopped her.

"Mira," Sid had finally given into his curiosity, moving the curtains to look. "you might want to see this." He beckoned to her, deliberately not showing her until she got close.

Nygus took one look, and shooed Sid away. "I can take it from here. Thanks for the help." He gave his weapon partner a casual salute as he walked out, leaving the rest to her. _Of all the things..._Mira was utterly lost. The Esper girl, Cassiel, was pressed against the window in what looked to be a failed attempt to fly in, with her weapon in hand. She waved, wearing a cheery smile while her cheeks were plastered to the glass. She pulled up the window, causing the girl to tumble into the hospital wing.

"Pardon me, do you have the time for one more?" She meekly raised a finger on the floor, lightly waving a magic wand.

"A medical...emergency?" Mira said it out loud once again to clarify, examining the wand-Julian Leone's weapon form-closely.

"Y-Yeah! I can't go out lookin' like..._this._ Don'tcha have some medicine to fix it up or something?" Julian looked at Nygus pleadingly, almost wishing someone could come over and fix his problem with a wave of a magic wand-if he wasn't one himself.

The nurse stiffed a laugh. Oh, if only. "Unfortunately not. After breaking it in for a while, you should get used to it."

Julian blinked. "It?"

"Your transformations. How many do you have, exactly?"

"Doc, you've lost me."

Nygus lightly tapped her temples, waiting for Julian to catch on. "You're a morph weapon. It's been in your health records since you registered."

"What_?_"

"_Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!_" Cassiel broke into an astounded smile, gazing at her weapon with a newfound curiosity while he tried to ignore it. Nygus passed the weapon onto her, letting her experiment with it.

"In all likelihood, there's a good chance there's more where that came from. It might not be soon, but-"

"Oh, what's this?" Cass's thumb moved to a notch near the top of the wand that noticeably had a different texture than the rest of the weapon. Just out of curiosity, she pressed it. The wand blew out of her hands in an unexpected jolt. Three shots rang out, and before anyone knew what was happening, three green orbs flashed right in front of their eyes. Cassiel and Nygus ducked, taking to the floor with their hands on their heads. After all went quiet, they let themselves take a breath. Black puffs of smoke lingered where the shots landed: by the now-broken sink, by the trashed medicine, and by the still-functional-yet-mildly-frazzled-and-somewhat-untidy bed. Cassiel gulped, nodding slowly as she came to her feet. "So _that _is its function. Very...practical?" She stared with a fixed smile at Nygus, trying her damnedest to draw attention away from the glaringly obvious damage. Although her expression remained hidden by the gauze bandages, Cassiel and Julian could see the nurse's eye twitch while she tapped her foot.

Cassiel was already at the door. "Well, it seems I must be making my departure! Farewell! Nice meeting you! Au revoir! Toodaloo! Cheers! Adios! Ciao! ...Bye." She slammed the door, skedaddling out of the hospital wing with a spring in her step.

* * *

><p><em>Here we go. <em>The game was about to begin. The students were lined up on one end, Victoria on the other. To make the matchup more even, all the balls were on Victoria's side in a box, allowing her to pick everyone off at her leisure. Marie sat in a fold-up chair on the side of the dividing line, waiting to give everyone the go-ahead signal. She took a long breath, in and out, before sending a mighty puff into the whistle. Nika kept towards the back, watching Victoria's movements closely. She picked up a ball in one hand, striding towards the line with a toxic smile. She let the ball spin on her finger, before letting it slide onto her palm the very moment she walked the farthest she was allowed to. Her arm reached back, arching for a perfect throw. She took a step forward-!

"_WAIT!_" At the last moment, Brandt hesitated, taking a few steps more behind the line. "Just a second ago, I had a shocking revelation." She kicked the ball to the side momentarily, postponing the game.

"V-Victoria, the clock's still going-" Miss Marie gestured to her wristwatch, but she paid no mind.

"Shut up, I'm going somewhere with this," she kept going, ruminating in silence for a moment."I'm a strong believer in the underdog philosophy and fighting the power, so let me all ask you something: _are you brave enough? _To challenge someone leagues past you-someone who has you one-upped in every regard? If you're scared, no shame in sitting out! But if you stay here...you have more than all of my respect!"

"_...Hey, she said we could leave..._" Whispers broke out among the students' side of the gym while Victoria watched on with an amused kind of curiosity.

In about two seconds, three fourths of the entire class walked to the sidelines, leaving only Joaquin, Cole, Georgina and Malphas, Nicolette, and Nika herself on their half. _I better get a LOT of participation points for this..._ Nika thought, still firmly pressed against the gym wall.

Victoria's eyebrows shot up, looking shocked at the low turnout. "I-I see how it is! Y'know what, that's cool! Fine! A-O.K.! Joke's on you; you guys are hardcore missing out!" She threw a dirty look to the oblvious crowd, enjoying the pleasures of _not _being beamed in the face with a dodgeball. She clenched the rubbery ball in one hand and turned her attention to the six of them, standing on-guard.

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Cassiel took a strong whiff of the mountain air, welcoming this new sensation. "What better way to ease into your weapon form than a mission, wouldn't you agree, Julian?" She tapped Julian's reflection in the wand, bringing his attention to her.<p>

"Yeah, whatever gets it done." Julian said annoyedly. Truth be told, he had no qualms going on the mission. What bothered him was being utterly _stuck _in his current form. Suddenly, the pleasure of being able to switch between human and weapon at will sounded like a godsend. _At least it ain't total garbage. _He thought. From the brief glimpse he got from the incident at the hospital wing, it seemed to fire compressed, baseball-sized spheres of his wavelength. Still pretty stupid looking though.

Cassiel referred down to the mission slip, holding it right in front of her face as she blindly floated forward. "Perhaps the local mountainfolk can point us in the right direction..." She mused aloud, walking straight into a quaint little town. It was like wandering straight into an eighteenth century period piece, with small, unassuming cobblestone houses with bright yellow bales of hay for roofs, living quietly under the mountain's shade. Nobody in town was idling about alone; everybody was hustling to do something, despite how brittle their old bones looked. All except for a solitary man balancing on a weathervane, looking towards the horizon without a sound. His black robes and long purple hair tossed around in the passing gusts of wind, but the man himself didn't look perturbed in the slightest.

"What's his deal? Tryin' to look mysterious in broad daylight?" Julian inquired. The man already had a hard time blending in with the rest of the townsfolk, and his behavior didn't help quell his suspicions either. "Wait, Cass! Look at the mission details again! Maybe he's the perp we're looking for!" Cassiel's eyes darted down to the paper, seeing if any of the details matched up.

* * *

><p>Nearing Kishin<p>

_Scissorman Barrows_

Eighty-eight separate incidents of murder + soul consumption.

His known stalking grounds are the Mortdaver mountains and surrounding areas.

Short and stout in appearance, but when armed with his signature three-foot scissors, his threat level remains at large. He claims his victims while they're alone, often indoors.

* * *

><p>"Ah..." Having read all of it, Cassiel looked back up at the mysterious man in question. "He's lacking in scissors, shortness, and stoutness. Best we leave him alone, then." She rolled the scroll up and hastily looked away from him. <em>What is he doing here? Could he possibly be related to one of the people here? No...The better question is, why am I scared of him? <em>Cassiel thought.

"Excuse me," Cassiel felt a bony finger tap her on the shoulder, and she turned to address it. A rather tiny old woman was looking at Cassiel directly, holding a polite smile. "my ears aren't the greatest these days. Did you happen to mention a murderer?" She asked, holding herself steady with a walking stick.

"Why yes!" Cassiel answered confidently. "W-Would you happen to know where?" She asked, only realizing moments after that loudly asking about the whereabouts of a murderer in public in broad daylight could have...repercussions.

"Real smooth, Cass." Cassiel couldn't see Julian inside of his weapon form, but the loud groan gave her a good idea of his facial expression.

"Hold on, my brain's a-thinkin'..." The old woman hesitated, before turning off the side. "_PHILLIP!_" She yelled, waving to an older gentleman across the street. "P-Phillip! The young folk want to know something!"

"What is it?"

The old lady coughed, clearing her throat before speaking again. "They're lookin' for a murderer 'round these parts!"

"Sounds dreadful!"

"I know! You know anything?!" She shouted back, engaging in a long-distance conversation when one of them could have easily walked over.

"Er...No, but hold on..." The old man held a hand to his chin, before waving in another direction to someone else. "_EDNA! I gotta ask you something!_"

The cycle repeated, until the whole town was relaying messages to each other with repeated bouts of "_What?_"'s and "Turn up your hearing aid!". Cassiel stood in the middle of it all, watching with regret as she personally witnessed what the fruits of her 'innocent' question had wrought.

The woman who initially approached Cassiel turned to the girl apologetically. "Seems like there's nothin' we can do for you. That's all of us, unless you wanna ask the folks inside the inn."

"I believe not. What about that man standing on top of that..." She was about to point to the raven-haired fellow they had witnessed earlier, but he was nowhere to be found. The old woman shook her head and shrugged.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_" Right when Cassiel had hit a dead end, a hair-raising shriek brought her attention to the inn. One of the second-floor windows shattered as someone burst through, looking particularly short...stout...and carrying a bloody three-foot pair of scissors! Cassiel's eyes widened, chasing after him posthaste. Scissorman Barrows ran, sliding down the diagonal mountain slope.

"Fear not, humans! This threat will be dealt with swiftly! Carry on with your normal activities, please." She gave the elderly villagers some words of comfort before following in his wake, trailing behind him with her wand aimed. Her thumb slammed against the button and held it, letting loose a non-stop spray of Julian's wavelength. The projectiles knocked him off his balance, sending him tumbling as his face crashed against the rocky surface several times.

"We got the bastard right where we want him! Fire away!" Now, Julian was growing well-acquainted with his weapon form. They were quickly approaching flat plains at the bottom of the slope, so it was best to use their advantage while they could. In his clumsy rolling, Barrows could only catch passing glimpses of her, defenseless against the shower of tiny spheres. Cassiel pushed her power of flight to the limit, reaching her maximum velocity as she closed in on the Scissorman. A look of panic swamped his face as he saw the Esper speeding towards him, holding up his scissors to shield his face. At close range, the rapid barrage of shots went from pestering to deadly, with each successful hit knocking him into the air a little bit until the fight had devolved into a high-speed juggling act. When he finally plummeted to solid ground, his already-baggy clothes had taken on an ashen shade from the collective result of taking at least fifty shots.

Cassiel came to a swift halt in midair, completely unscathed thus far. With a flick of the wand, Julian shifted back into his plasma whip form. "Welcome back!" Her hand's position shifted slightly to match the altered form.

"About. Damn. Time." He let out a semi-amused, semi-annoyed grunt, feeling some control over his body again. Barrows emerged from the tall green grasses, panickedly looking over the plains and realizing he had nowhere to hide. He bared his teeth like a cornered rat, pointing his scissors at Cassiel defiantly.

"You...you shouldn't underestimate me!" He blathered, snipping his blades in an attempt to look menacing. "You look pretty strong! You'll remember this fight for ages! A story to pass onto your children!"

Cassiel lashed the air, returning the gesture. "I'm sure it will! Perhaps this battle will mark an important time in my life!"

"Now you'll see the _true _power of a Kishin egg! Just one step away from godhood!" He boasted, still having yet to make a move.

"How humorous! I appreciate your attempt at a _joke_ but my Julian's power far surpasses that of your own!" Cassiel shouted.

"Show it in battle then!" He yelled back.

"Very well! Let us begin!"

"Yeah, yeah, just start it already..." Julian's offhand comment was drowned out by their continued theatrics, not heard by either of them.

"Let's begin, then!" He parroted, taking a step further.

"_HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_" Both of them belted their fiercest battlecries, bracing for what could be their finest fights.

Cassiel's vision went white in a violent flash, and with it came the sound of a deafening crash. When the dust settled, Scissorman Barrows was lying on the ground, or at least what was left of him was. In his place, above his smoking corpse, stood the robed man from earlier. In contrast to his entrance, he was chillingly silent, standing stiffly across from Cassiel. Though he was undoubtedly an adult, his appearance had an eerily youthful, almost ageless look, like that of a fairy or elf.

"Esper," he spread his arms apart, daring the girl to attack. "your opponent is me now."

_There it is again. 'Esper', like it's some kinda insult. _Julian was beginning to notice a disturbing trend with that word-first Eibon, now him. He could even see it beginning to unnerve Cassiel, her fingers unable to find a resting spot on the whip.

"...V-Very well. I may have intended to take home a Kishin egg soul, but I suppose yours will be a suitable substitute!" The threat backed by Cassiel lacked confidence, by the slight quavering in her voice.

"Home?" The man grunted as if he was amused, but no smile crossed his face. "You have no home."

"Hey!" Julian yelled. "Just who the hell are you anyway?" He had a right to know, but no one moreso than Cassiel. "C'mon, say something!"

The man didn't answer. His arms moved, one high, one low. Then, like a lighter igniting, a translucent blue light radiated from his open palms. Julian adjusted his collar inside his weaponspace. "Y-Yeah, second thought, I see you're the strong, silent type."

Cassiel shook her head, jerking the whip back and forth. "Come on, then!" The raven-haired man's head tilted downward, keeping his eyes that were as dark and as blue as the depths of the ocean fixated on her.

Yet, he did not strike. Hesitation, perhaps? He let the light falter in his palms, looking somewhere on the plains. Cassiel followed his gaze, narrowing her eyelids at wherever he was staring. All she saw was grazing deer, blissfully oblivious of what was to occur. A scowl formed on his face, turning his cold stare back to Cassiel. "This is unfit for our battle." He pivoted on his toes and turned around. "Follow." He ordered.

Cassiel looked down at Julian, then back at the man, who had already turned his back and begun walking ahead. He nodded with suspicion, which she returned. Julian shapeshifted back into his human form, letting himself breathe in fresh air again. They followed behind not-so-closely, not daring to try and get a sneak attack in on him.

"_Cass, let's go._" Julian was whispering through bared teeth, keeping close watch on the man. "_It's not like he can fly. We gotta jet while we can._"

"_Well, it sounds like a fine idea, but..." _Even Cassiel had to acknowledge just how much she would have liked to hotfoot it and run, but it was out of the question. "_You remember the nature show we watched last Saturday, do you not?" _

"_What does that gotta do with-_"

"_Listen, just for a moment. The nature show, the one that discussed the leopard. It was very large and powerful, but it never made the first move. It stalked, waiting just until the prey began to take action before it took chase. What I'm beginning to say is..._"

"_This guy's waitin' for us to snap?_"

Cassiel flashed Julian a congratulatory grin. "_Pre-cisely._" Julian couldn't help but feel a little flushed, like a teacher giving him a gold star on his essay. So they continued, doing exactly what the enemy wanted. Or not. Anyone would have better luck reading a book in Finnish and consequently translating it to Mandarin Chinese than trying to read this man's emotions. At the very top of a hill, he stopped.

"We stop here. I assume you're ready." His hands lit up again, concealing his quiet fury in clenched fists.

"What are you trying to pull here? You're standing right behind a cliff, pal. All the light shows in the world ain't gonna help you when you're fallin' fifty miles a second towards the ground." Julian said, on the verge of solving a complex problem with a simple solution. The man didn't react. He took a single step back, dangling one foot over the edge.

"Wait!" Cassiel's arm shot forward, but he was already gone, falling backwards down the cliff with the dullest look on his face. Her mouth moved, but no words could describe her feelings in the moment.

Just when an eerie calm had been established, the wind shrieked, whipping in high-pitched whistles as something shot up.

"No..." Cassiel gawked in disbelief, raising her guard.

"Holy shit...!" The weapon couldn't believe his eyes. It was borderline-impossible. Unthinkable. The chances of a person being able to do that...it was a one-in-a-million statistic.

Or perhaps now, a _two_-in-a-million statistic. Right in front of them, he man was standing unharmed and unfazed. Just standing. On nothing but thin air.

"E-Explain this! Just who are you?" Cassiel imitated him, taking flight as well. Julian, sensing the tension, transformed into his magic wand form.

The raven-haired flier locked eyes with Cassiel. "My background is far from important. What does matter is that I and I alone ensure your demise, Cassiel, thus ending Esperkind. My god-given duty dictates as much."

The Esper said nothing. Unease had swamped over her, but not enough to paralyze her. "I'm ready."

* * *

><p>The buzzer sounded, signalling the resumption of the game. Victoria didn't look to be in much of a talkative mood anymore. The five students plus one Demon Arm stood tentatively, spread out evenly across their side. "Calling it now, straight down the middle!" She openly announced her shot, winding up a throw. Knowing Victoria usually stuck true to her word, Nika dashed for cover, clinging to the wall. The ball glided from her hand, with the force behind her throw being transferred to the ball. It shot through the air like a jet-propelled knife, blowing Nika's hair even from the far left. It was headed straight for her sister, standing towards the back wall. Nicolette tensed up, before swaying to the side at the last moment, the ball just <em>barely <em>missing her. She tilted her shades downward, giving Victoria an unamused, but decidedly smug look.

"Victoria, did like, something happen? I didn't know you got so rusty." While Nicolette taunted her, her ears failed to pick up the sound of the ball bouncing off against the wall behind her.

"_Nicolette, pay attention!_" Nika chided her sister, motioning for her to jump out of the way, but it was too late. She was completely blindsided, the ball digging into her back in its violent wake. Nicolette shot forward, spilling onto the gym floor in utter defeat. Nika gasped, watching the ball roll away from her collapsed body. _So Victoria is less of a dumb jock than she looks...She ricocheted the ball off the wall! _

Miss Marie slid over to Nicolette and planted a miniature white flag in her hair. "_AND SHE'S DOWN!_" She declared, true to her position as ref.

_Nicolette, as the responsible sibling, I'm going to avenge you! ...Well, eventually. _Nika thought, looking on at Victoria with righteous anger and a whole lot of fear. Before she could 'eventually' avenge her sister, Joaquin stepped forward, picking up the ball that had bludgeoned Nicolette.

"We've got a challenger!" Victoria welcomed him with open arms, picking up her next ball. Joaquin assumed a throwing stance, not saying a word.

_Wow, and I always thought he was afraid of Victoria. _In the moment, Nika idolized his courage, how he stood up to her like that. She could even see a smirk start to form on his face as well. _Just look at him! Facing her so boldly like that! You have to wonder what's going through his head..._Nika tried to get a better look at his face, jutting her neck out to peek. _He's...he's..._Nika couldn't believe it. _...sweating like hell. Damn it, even that grin is fake!_ Her teeth ground together, looking at her classmate in frustration.

Nika blew up, just as he began his shot. "AT LEAST SHOW SOME CONFIDENCE IF YOU'RE GONNA WALK UP THERE LIKE THAT!" She cursed herself, quickly cupping her hands over her mouth. Not the best words of encouragement. Caught off-guard by Nika's hollering, he completely flubbed the throw, not even coming close to grazing Victoria's head.

Joaquin looked at his classmates with a knowingly doomed expression. "You know, I truly appreciate the backup you all gave me. It warms me right here." He placed his hands on his heart in mock-sincerity, before retreating from the boundary line like his legs were on fire.

Cole cleared his throat, looking at his meister wistfully. "Joaquin, perhaps you could've..."

"Done good?" Georgina suggested meekly.

"_Georgina!_" Cole chastised her for saying such things. Well, they were all _thinking _it, but regardless.

"Oh, um...Whoops." She clutched her arm, determined not to make eye contact with anyone after that.

"Real strong team effort, guys. I'm sure your dumb human flesh bodies can tank those, right?" Malphas quipped, because surely no conversation was complete without him.

"Can it, you," Georgina snapped, but with no holy water, she had nothing to back up her demand.

"Everyone, she's coming..." Nika pointed to Victoria, who had several dodgeballs gathered at her feet. She had yet to pick one up, just circled around her like some dark ritual was about to occur. _Announce your shot, Victoria. Who's next? _Nika's back stiffened, digging her nails into the wall. Anticipation had seized her in a death grip, squeezing the air out of her lungs as Victoria slowly reached down to grab one.

"And as for this shot, or should I say _shots_...just try to dodge." She paused, purposefully allowing the tension to build up. "_NOW!_" Her movements were sharp and jolty, like someone had taken some frames out of a replay and sped it up. The balls around her dwindled quickly, all being thrown in rapid succession at the remaining five.

"_I've got this!_" Georgina leapt into the line of danger, diving in front of the five balls without hesitation.

"Georgina, get out of there! You're too small!" Nika felt a strong twinge of worry for the petite girl, after seeing what a single well-placed dodgeball had done to her older and taller sister.

"You aren't wrong, but..." Moments before the impact, Georgina's Demon Arm bursted, expanding to thrice her size, both horizontally and vertically. "Malphas isn't!" The balls proved no match for the improvised shield, sending the projectiles back from whence they came.

"_CHEAP SHOOOOT!_" Victoria ducked for cover as her ace in the hole backfired horribly on her, forced to cower while her own dodgeballs came flying back in wildly different directions.

Nika fist-pumped in Georgina's direction, welling up in pride at the girl's spontaneous ingenuity. "Perfect! Georgina, at this rate, you're almost a prodigy!" Prodigy, of course, was a title strictly relegated to Nika herself, at least in her book.

Georgina blushed, swatting the compliment away. "It wasn't much, really..."

"_HE'S DOWN!_" Without anyone noticing her approach, Miss Marie had stuck a flag onto Malphas' enlarged form.

"Aw, no..." Any confidence she previously had was dashed while the white flag hung shamefully on her parasitic partner.

"Using my face as a shield?! Unbelievable! I'm starting to think this is an abusive relationship, kid." Five dodgeball-shaped indents were plotted about on Malphas' shield-face, almost earning himself some pity points if he wasn't a demon.

"You heard her. Off to the sidelines." Georgina gestured for him to scram with two fingers, to which he complied grumpily. The Demon Arm spun counterclockwise, gradually unscrewing himself from Georgina with an oddly cute 'POP', before scuttling away on his fingers to the bleachers. "W-We can still hope, right?" Missing an arm, she tried to make the best of their situation, which seemed increasingly bleak.

"AND NOW A STRAIGHT LEFT!" Without warning, a blur of red brushed by Georgina's head, blazing a furious path down the gym. Just when they had forgotten her presence, Victoria had struck again. Nika saw where it was headed; near the far back, Joaquin had gotten caught up with some other students by the side, nonchalantly chatting.

Cole's eyes no longer followed the ball. He was already moving. "_Joaquin, look out!_" The weapon steadfastly threw himself in the way of the dodgeball, knowing full well what would come with it. Joaquin's head turned at the very moment it happened, consumed by shock as he pieced together what had happened. Not even the armor below his gym clothes could absorb the shock of the blow. The ball plowed through Cole, throwing him against the wall with terrible force.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Without hesitation, Joaquin sprinted to his weapon partner, slumped against the wall and barely conscious. He crumpled, placing a feeble hand over his weapon's. "Cole, Cole, oh my god, _oh_ my god..." Joaquin was beginning to tear up. He let out a solitary sob. "It's gonna be okay, Cole… Ointment for that bump is two-fifty at the store, Cole, it's only two-fifty..." His hands held onto Cole's arm like a security blanket, staying with him every moment.

"This is still dodgeball, right?" Georgina questioned, though no one replied.

Cole coughed, leaving small spatters of blood on his gym uniform. "J-Joaquin, I'm sorry..." The weapon wheezed, his eyelids fluttering. Joaquin shook him, desperate to keep him conscious. "I'm so sorry...I'm...I'm short on money, Joaquin. I request..." He wheezed in agony, his eyes shooting open for a brief instant.

Joaquin leaned close. "Cole, I'm listening!"

"_I request-_" The two words practically strangled him, struggling to speak above a whisper. His meister lowered his ear right next to Cole's mouth, listening intently. "_F-Fifty cents..._"

Joaquin whimpered. "B-Bro, that's only two quarters...You..." He cupped his hand over his mouth. "You cheapskate..."

Cole's eyes glazed over. "R-Rude..." His head turned to the side, finally letting himself rest.

"Cole? _Cole?_ COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLEEEE!" Joaquin cried out, cursing the heavens in their grievous mistake in allowing this to happen to his friend. He knelt, and then stood, staring downward at his weapon with naught but a clenched fist.

"Cole...I _promise _you...I will make this all up to you..." He shoved the tears in his eyes away with a confident brush of his forearm. "I swear, she won't wi-_HURGH_!" One moment, Joaquin was boldly standing by his fallen friend, and the next, his head found itself lodged in the cement wall, half-standing with a look of sweet release.

"_And they're down!_" A flag was placed by the meister and weapon, hanging pitifully between the two of them.

Victoria let out an exasperated breath. "Someone had to kill the drama." At this point, she wasn't even putting in effort. Rather, just lazily picking off the students like the last bits of leftovers.

"Georgina," Nika turned to her classmate and friend, trying to hide the despair in her face. "I know things _seem _desperate, but with some planning, there's nothing stopping us from pulling through."

The meister folded her glasses into her pockets before turning to her. "Nika..." She paused, shaking her head with an amused smile, the same one a parent would give to a misunderstood child. "I really _want _to believe you."

That pessimistic attitude was beginning to wear thin on Nika's patience. "Just follow my lead, okay?" With nowhere else to hide, Nika abandoned the safety of the wall, stepping out front and center next to Georgina.

The gym floor boomed as Victoria stomped forward with her right foot, immediately drawing all eyes to her. "You're next, Nika!" She began her throw, ominously telegraphing exactly who and where she intended to hit.

"Damn it..." Fear initially froze Nika, but it begun working in her favor once her brain started barking orders. Her hands fumbled for a dodgeball, getting ready to throw just as Victoria's ball came blistering her way. "Georgina, get ready!" Nika hastily whipped the ball out of her hands towards the one headed straight her way. She was confident enough in her aim-a sniper never misses, of course, but she had doubts in her power. The balls collided, with Victoria's clearly being the faster of the two, but it was still enough to alter its path, sending both projectiles every which way like a game of pinball.

Victoria growled again, keeping cautiously still while her eyes flashed left and right, struggling to keep her eyes on the balls' trajectory. With the distraction in place, it was Georgina's time to shine. She dribbled her ball around, keeping a cool and unfazed game-face in the midst of the chaos.

_All according to plan! _Nika smiled with her stomach to the floor, laying low to avoid the storm the two still ricocheting balls were creating. She watched Georgina dash forward, charging closer to Victoria with every step.

Georgina jumped, her somewhat fuzzy vision honing in on her opponent in midair. She held the ball with a bear's grasp, ready to let loose at a moment's notice. _I...I actually think I can do this! As long as she's distracted, I can make this shot! _She reached her peak height in the air, just beginning her slow fall back to the ground. For once, she felt confident in herself, _without _Malphas's added power.

The balls both sped into the same corner, bouncing off each other in a tight space until they exhausted, calmly rolling out of sight together. Georgina went blank-faced. "Well. Whoops." Victoria's eyes were already locked onto her next target: Georgina. With little options left, she did the only thing she still could.

Georgina crouched, ducking into a roll in midair. She tumbled to the ground in a turtled position, bringing all combat to a bizarre stop. Victoria's mouth hung slightly agape, before raising her palm, dodgeball in-hand. "_Wait!_" Georgina extended her arm in protest, looking at her pleadingly.

Victoria's hand twitched, wavering, but still holding its position. "Gimme a good reason why I should stop."

"Because," Georgina said somewhat more calmly. "you should see where I am." She explained, keeping in her crouched position. The redhead obliged, glancing at Georgina's position relative to Nika's. Her face lit up in mild intrigue, raising her eyebrows.

"Hey... You're over the line!" Victoria dropped the ball in anger once she realized just how she had been duped. Nika felt a mix of admiration and vexation at her classmate, resenting her and her stupidly clever scheme.

"She's-she's out!" Even Miss Marie was shocked, handing an unharmed Georgina the flag carefully. The smaller teen walked off, giving Nika a sheepish smile and a 'what can you do' sort of face.

Nika took a solemn breath. The air surrounding her felt vast and cold, only now coming to terms with the fact that she was utterly alone in the losing battle against Victoria. She gritted her teeth in the face of despair, glaring right back at Victoria, holding a malicious smirk. "Nowhere left to run, Nika!" She stepped right up to the dividing line, brandishing a dodgeball between her muscular arms.

Nika didn't break eye contact for a moment. Despite her fear and lack of confidence, doing nothing would only humiliate her more. She cocked her head and fired back, "Bring it on, Victoria!"

* * *

><p>Cassiel's mind and body seemed to drift further apart as she kept her eyes on the flying man, with little idea how to act. He had annihilated the Kishin egg with little effort, so what was to stop him from doing the same thing to her? "Do you intend to act, or have you accepted your fate?" he asked, unimpressed with her thus far.<p>

"Oh, I do," Cassiel chuckled, the kind of which you would laugh when you think you've pulled one over someone.

Julian gulped, giving his meister a nod. "Ain't much else we can do but..."

"But...?" Their assailant was beginning to grow anxious, moving in a bit closer.

"Ah, have I carried your interest?" Her eyelids lowered, smiling slyly. The irritation on the attacker's face was beginning to show, still reluctantly holding off on killing her. "I'm actually quite new to this prospect of hunting the less-than-good members of mankind, you see...I believe I am what they call a 'rookie'."

"What are you playing at, Esper? I've long lost my sympathy for you." Energy pulsated from the center of his palms, just itching to fight.

"Please, I only request seconds of your time..." she cut back in, politely raising a finger to interject. "It saddens me to say this, but we aren't strong. We are but foot soldiers in the grand army."

"And?" His fingers clenched, raring to go.

Cassiel shook her head in false dismay, looking back at him like a fool. "Must I pain myself to continue? It is clear, is it not?" Finally, he was beginning to let up a bit, now somewhat curious. "_After all, who sends in a pawn without backup?_" She pointed past his head, grinning broadly.

"What?!" His head shot back, looking for the supposed backup. All the hesitation Cassiel needed.

The switch to Julian's magic wand form and subsequent slamming of the fire button took all but a second, blitzing their opponent with an array of Cassiel's compressed wavelength. "STRATEGIC RETREAT!" She jumped from the cliffs, transitioning into swift flight just before she could land. She glided down by a river's bank, not daring to slow down for a moment. She zig-zagged from one end of the river to the other, trying to shake off her chaser. When there was not a single sound in the air but the water rushing past, Cassiel took a glance back. No one in sight. "All clear!"

"_CASS, YOUR LEFT!_" Julian screamed. The Esper acted without pause, immediately checking for a disturbance.

"_Huh-!_" Even after getting ambushed with a barrage of 'bullets' and getting a head-start, he had closed the distance between him and Cassiel in seconds. The light he emitted was so blinding from so close, making it all the more difficult for her to assess the situation. A palm shot into her stomach lightning-fast, and everything felt so lucid in that one moment.

"Your tears will dry in heaven." His quiet words weren't swept in the wind nor the river, leaving a lasting impact on Cassiel, before the light took her. A beam fired at her midsection, blasting her across the water and onto the rocky cliff face, where it burst on collision. She waded through the smoke left by the explosion, still strong enough to fight.

"Ah, so that's his ability..." She noted wearily, switching to Julian's whip form. The river had parted, carved by the beam that their assailant had fired. He calmly floated through the opening, drawing closer to Cassiel with an impassive frown.

"Don't get on my case for being obvious here, but, damn, this guy's strong..." Judging by what a single beam had done to Cassiel, it was only natural for Julian to have serious doubts about their chances. He looked to the raven-haired man uneasily. "J-Just keep your head up and don't do anything stupid."

"Let it be known that my test scores and my combat ability have no correlation!" she said defensively. The attacker launched onto the offensive, lobbing a beam at Cassiel forcefully. She had prepared for it, and dodged accordingly. The rock wall roared, as chunks and pieces begun to rain down from the resulting explosion. "Oh my-!" Falling earth assaulted them both, forcing the two to maneuver around with the utmost caution, knowing one wrong move could equal a broken back. The man froze in place, alternating between taking out the debris in quick, methodic rays and firing rough scatter shots in Cassiel's direction.

"_Ah!_" A sharp pain sparked to life in her right shoulder. A paper-thin beam had entered and left her body in a flash, leaving a small, yet searing hole where it passed. She shoved herself against the cliff wall, taking hoarse breaths and trying to find a plan of attack. Their enemy was thankfully preoccupied with his own safety instead of trying to jeopardize Cassiel's at the moment, giving her a window of opportunity to escape, and upon its presentation, she bolted. She used the natural wall as a springboard, boosting her momentum to dash along the ground and away from the man once more. She took flight along the riverbed, following the current at breakneck speed.

"Cassiel, you will not evade me!" He fired a futile shot her way, which she dodged with ease. She followed the river until she hit a fork in the water, diverting from the river down to a smaller stream. The stream diverged into a large pond surrounded by cliff on all sides, leaving her with little options for defense. A screaming blast from behind ruptured through Cassiel's eardrums, signalling his nearing.

Julian gritted his teeth as the feeling of helplessness swelled up within him. "No way in hell we're trapped… Dammit, Cass, we gotta go!" He looked frantically around for a point of discreet escape, to no avail.

Cassiel wasn't listening; she was already acting. Her eyes wandered in sharp glances until a figurative lightbulb shed light onto her brain. "I know what to do!"

.

The man blew into the pond so fast his robes flapped furiously in the wind even after his body had ceased to move. No sign of the Esper anywhere. He glided slowly across the water's surface armed with light in his hands, just in case of an ambush. For a few moments, he remained completely still, with his arms at his sides, just to coax her into showing herself. He shook his head, steadying his hand towards the center of the pond. "Enough trickery." Even if it meant levelling the pond and killing the fish, Cassiel's death would compensate. The light grew ever brighter, ready to blow away the waters.

"_AHH!_" The man jumped, turning around to see Cassiel gasping for breath as she emerged from the pond's waters.

"Shit, knew we shoulda waited an extra second…" Julian cursed.

"You-!" The man's arm jerked in her direction, acting without haste.

"_NO!_" Cassiel threw herself at the man, seizing his arms in an aggressive bear hug.

"_Cease this…!_" The two struggled for dominance in the air, suddenly darting one way, than another. Cassiel plunged the two of them into the water, turning the thick of combat into a silent battle. With her arms still wrapped around his back, she fired a barrage of wand bullets to the back of his head. The man's vision went white, and his head shook violently every quarter-second a shot connected. Coupled with his slow suffocation, he began to grow desperate. He kneed the Esper in the gut, freeing him from her grasp. The unexpected pain subdued her, clutching her stomach tightly. The man swam under her and cupped his hands together, infusing them with energy before releasing it all into a blinding beam.

Fresh air filled Cassiel's lungs once more, but not in the way that she had hoped. The blast carried her skyward, scorching her entire body in its searing wake. When it finally burst, her strength faded. Not even flight was an option at this point. Her limp body came falling back down to the Earth, crashing onto the water's surface. "_C-CASS!_" Julian screamed, desperately attempting to rouse his half-dead meister. The man lifted her by one of her pigtails, making slight ripples in the pond as his legs delicately sunk in. The dull blues in Cassiel's eyes were lit by the energy emitting from the man's hand, forcing her to squint.

The man stood remorselessly in front of her, showing little regard for the amount of pain she was in. "If you wish to say any fleeting words before your demise, you have an audience."

"Y-Yes…Just eight." Cassiel wheezed and coughed loudly in comparison to her hushed voice. The man brought his ear closer to Cassiel's mouth, straining his sense of hearing to listen in.

"_You should pay more attention to your surroundings._" Cassiel whispered with an exhausted smirk.

"_What?!_" He let go of Cassiel, moving fast, but not fast enough. She jumped and lashed at the pond with the plasma whip, turning all water into a sight into a magnificent sparking yellow.

"_AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_" The man screamed, having been turned into an unwitting conductor of electricity. His body twitched and writhed, shocking him until the waters calmed, leaving him floating face-down on the surface.

"And that's why you _never _underestimate an Esper!" She flashed a triumphant smile at her foe, who was probably in no state to hear her.

Julian let out a hefty breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Holy shit, Cass, that was..._wow._" The two glided off onto dry land, taking a moment to kick back, as he tentatively dipped his toes into the slightly crackling pond. "Hey, Cass." Julian nudged his meister, pointing to their incapacitated foe. "Looks like he hasn't kicked the bucket yet. Y'gonna finish the job?" Indeed, there was still life in him, in the slow process of paddling himself to shore.

Cassiel took some time to think. "No," she answered firmly. "I don't believe I will."

"Whaddya mean you won't?" Julian looked at her dumbfoundedly. "He's _right there!_ That's one less creepy stalker in the world, Cass…"

"Well, did he not help us eliminate the Kishin egg?" She rebutted, remembering how quickly it had happened.

"Yeah, but-"

"But?"

He grumbled. "-Yeah, he did, but Cass, c'mon…"

"Perhaps we can turn this into a routine of sorts: we engage in battle with the Kishin egg, he arrives, kills the Kishin egg, we battle, collect the Kishin egg soul, and rinse and repeat, as they say." She proposed unironically, to her weapon's amusement.

"Pfft. Dream on." He snorted. "Speakin' of the Kishin egg soul...where the hell is it?"

"Um…" Cassiel paused. "Julian! Assume your weapon form! We must depart!" She ordered, praying to god nobody stole it. They took off, leaving their attacker behind.

Just as the pond was beginning to become farther and farther, a voice rang out, stopping Cassiel in her tracks. "Cassiel...!" The man had made it to dry land, taking heavy breaths while shouting at the airborne Esper. "Do not think...this is the last time...we will encounter each other!" He got on one knee and took a shaky stand up, staring straight through her. "Never forget the looming shadow that hangs over you...I, Azrael, the angel of retribution...will stop at no ends to pursue you!" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, before finally crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

Cassiel stared at him for a long time before moving again. _Azrael... What have the Espers done to deserve this? _She shook the lingering thoughts away, soaring out of the low canyon.

* * *

><p>Only at the DWMA would a dodgeball game be taken this seriously.<p>

The tension never felt more real than in that staredown between Nika and Victoria. Three minutes left on the buzzer, which meant one-hundred-and-eighty agonizing seconds of trying to survive against her. Nika kept her head level, erasing all physical traces of her fear. She picked up a dodgeball and stepped close to the boundary. She wouldn't let Victoria get the early advantage by allowing her to strike first. She leered, charmed at Nika's valiant display. "Let's see if you can keep up." Victoria mirrored her, standing just ten feet away.

Nika kept her wits about her and kept glaring. The first move would decide her fate. Dodgeballs were scattered everywhere on the ground, ready to be picked up and thrown by either of them at a moment's notice. Nika broke into a short sprint and let loose, turning her momentum into throwing power. "_GO!_" The ball carved a straight, speedy path towards Victoria, dropping the grin before striking back.

"Too slow!" Victoria threw hers to counter, hitting it dead-on. They blew each other way, flying off in opposite directions. "How fast can you go, Nika?" She chucked a ball her way, whipping the air with it's quick and destructive force.

"Fast enough!" It was Nika's turn to play defense, knocking the ball away last-second.

"Let's see then!" Victoria kept the pressure on her, throwing another, this time faster. Nika parried it, but just barely. "You can do better than that! Come on!" Her shots became faster and faster, until it became a full-on torrent of dodgeballs, faster than the human eye could process. "C'monc'monc'monc'monc'monC'MON!" At this rate, a stray shot was bound to catch Nika, getting pushed back with each countered ball.

_Breathe, girl, breathe! _The stress was hitting her, and hard; there seemed to be no feasible escape from Victoria's assault. The balls around her were growing ever fewer, and Victoria's certainly outnumbered hers. _Here goes everything! _Nika gambled, and chucked the ball beyond Victoria, aiming for her main supply-the box. The redhead quickly realized something was up and briefly ceased fire, giving Nika the time she needed to evade getting pinned. Her shot landed, turning Victoria's side of the court into a catastrophe as dodgeballs rained down, launched thanks to Nika's quick thinking.

"Grr-!" Victoria's head kept jerking from Nika to above her, rapidly trying to keep her focus balanced on two threats.

"It's about time!" Nika took in a huge breath, feeling victory against Victoria drawing ever closer. She watched her painstakingly sidestep around, very narrowly avoiding getting bonked on the head several times. Nika dashed forward, hurling the ball straight ahead. She caught a passing glimpse of it, and her eyes widened in fear. "_How fast can you go, Victoria?_" Nika said, imitating her gruff tone mockingly. "I always had the feeling it would sound better when I said it."

"Nika, you-!" Victoria was frozen to the spot while the ball whirled closer. "_You-!_" She bowed her head, and cursed. "I'm never gonna get over this..." Her muscles untensed, looking behind her quickly. "_Hup!_" With no other way out, Victoria made a 'daring' slide and dived under the cover of the now-empty dodgeball box, clutching her knees amidst the chaos.

Nika bit her lip and considered shouting several words that would land her a detention if said in a teacher's presence. "_WHAT?!_" She threw her arms up in bafflement, staring furiously at a very guilty Victoria. Miss Mjolnir was silent, watching the shameful display without a qualm. "Miss Marie!"

"Under most circumstances, I'd call it cheating..._buuuut_, it is a creative use of resources, so I'll allow it," she said, to Nika's complete disgust, not helped by Victoria's feeble fist pump inside her literal safety cube.

"Yeah, now where were we...?" She took a stand back up and tried to give Nika an intimidating stare, as if she _hadn't _just resorted to hiding under a box moments ago. "You're pretty smart, Nika. But you know, I can play smarter."

"T-That so?" Once again, Nika's bravado ran dry as Victoria's came back in full-force.

Victoria smirked. She paced left and right, holding a ball very casually, displaying it front-and-center. "Scared?" The anticipation was nerve-wracking. There was a dangerous look in her eyes-narrowing her eyes carefully, like she had just analyzed Nika's entire being. "What am I doing, Nika?" she asked, keeping her movements slow and leisurely. "Keep guessing now..._What am I doing, Nika?!_" Without warning, the ball had already disappeared from her hand. Nika braced, but found that it was headed nowhere near her-miles away, in fact. She looked fearfully to the ball's destination, knowing that Victoria wouldn't intentionally miss a shot like that. She wasn't aiming at anyone, just straight for the wall, or maybe the door? No, the lightswitch!

Darkness consumed all in an instant. A few screams emerged before they realized what had happened. "_Miss! Marie!_" Nika hollered. There was no possible way to justify this.

"CREATIVE USE OF RESOURCES!" She retorted in the dark. The meister groaned, before turning her attention back to her opponent.

With her vision effectively stripped, Victoria's footsteps drawing closer sounded thunderous to Nika. A scarlet light flickered from Victoria's palm, holding a ball. The rest of her body was shadowed, hiding what Nika was absolutely sure was a devilish smirk. _She's using her soul wavelength as a light. Hmph, she thinks she's clever, doesn't she? _Nika tried to imitate the technique, but could only muster it for half-second intervals.

"Now..." Everyone shut up as Victoria spoke, coming out crystal-clear. "Try this!" Victoria's wavelength left her hand and transferred to the projectile, becoming a fireball in every sense of the word.

"AH!" Nika jumped, spurred into action by pure terror. The blazing ball rebounded off the back wall, before its flame went out. Nika clung to the ventilation pipes on the ceiling like a cat to a tree, using every ounce of her upper body strength.

"Nika, stop goofing around and accept it. You can hide, but you can't...hide." She watched as Victoria imbued two other dodgeballs, scanning the room before taking more shots in the dark. Nika nearly yelped as a ball struck the ceiling, _barely _avoiding having her location revealed by the light.

"One minute left on the clock." Victoria announced. The digital counter ticked down at a snail's pace, making survival seem unattainable. "Fifty-nine seconds!" She was now consciously looking above, staring right past Nika. She made her movements scarce, praying that she hadn't been spotted. "Fifty-eight..." She felt Victoria's stare leave her body, as well as a huge weight on her shoulders. Less than a minute, she told herself. Just survive for less than a minute, and all would be well.

_With this strategic advantage, I may as well be the winner. _Nika smiled, watching Victoria fumble around in the dark in her effort to strike her down. _Look at you, Victoria! I beat you at your own game! Serves you right for leaving the-_

Nika blinked. Her eyes adjusted to the light, suddenly turned back on by someone just entering the room. "Oh, there you are." Victoria said calmly, looking up at her. Still a full thirty seconds on the clock.

"I'm back. 'Scuse me..." The kid with the misfortune of having to run fifty laps meekly passed by, walking towards the bleachers with everyone else. The whole class stared up at Nika, wide-open and defenseless as she held on desperately to the rafters.

"Hm." Nika's mouth pursed. "Well, fu-"

**We briefly interrupt your regular reading of _Soul Eater: Unsound Souls. _This concludes the interruption.**

Nika plopped onto the ground, picking herself up onto her knees as she stared pitifully at Victoria. The red rubber never looked so shiny than in that moment of utter despair. Time was dwindling, but ultimately, not fast enough. Her mouth quivered as she found she lacked the strength to get back up, not accepting her fate, but too weak to fight against it. "I-I'll probably only get a B+ for this..." She feebly pounded the ground, looking at the face of her demise.

"I'll give you props, Nika," Victoria said, her legs bent and her back arched, assuming a sprinting stance. "But let's be real here." Her eyes ignited, exuding determination in its purest form. "You never had a chance." She started slow, but gradually gained acceleration, like a locomotive chugging down the rails. Her figure became larger and larger, coming to a halt with a mighty stomp. Her arm reached back...

"And right there, you've already lost." The words froze Victoria to the spot. Nika pushed herself up, with an all-knowing look about her. The older meister halted her attack, looking left and right for any traps. "I might be young, but you know what I am? _Tenacious!_" Her teeth grit, and with eyes so wide and determined, it was enough to unnerve even the likes of Victoria. "Since the beginning I've been setting up. And the best part is, you'll never know what hit you..." She rambled on, backing up further and further.

"Like Hell!" Defiantly, Victoria began winding up her final throw, taking a step forward.

"_A-ha!_" Nika's eyes lit up like a four year-old on Christmas day. "Miss Marie, did you see that?"

"Umm...See what?" The referee's head tilted, straining her eyes to look for something out of the ordinary.

"_THIS!_" Nika shot over to Victoria, kneeling down and gesturing to her foot. She whipped out a magnifying glass and a ruler. "Brandt, you've been caught red-handed! A glaring rule-break, right here!" She smirked confidently to the unsure crowd, further elaborating. "To the untrained eye, there's nothing wrong, right? _BUT! _With closer inspection, see...Victoria's foot is a centimeter over the boundary line!" She cupped her hand over her mouth, trying to elicit a shocked reaction from the class.

As she realized her mistake, Brandt hopped back, fervently denying the claim. "Nuh-uh!"

"She's-she's down!" Miss Marie dropped the loser flag at Victoria's feet, her mouth hanging agape in complete shock.

"Good game, Victoria." As the young meister shook her senior's hand, she flashed the smuggest, smarmy, complacent, boastful, most self-satisfied smile she ever made. Victoria's hand dropped, baffled at her defeat.

The buzzer sounded, and with it, the dismissal bell. "Consider yourselves avenged, save the applause for later." Nika turned to her friends, who were in far too much pain to care. They limped to the door, groaning with every step. "Y-You...you all saw that, right?" She raced after them, abandoning the gym with the rest of the flooding students.

Victoria puffed, thoroughly exhausted after that prolonged bout of cat and mouse. She exited through the gym's southmost door, into the empty hallway. But when a hand seized her wrist in a steel grip, she had no choice other than to stop. It was only then that she realized that she had left the gym without a goodbye. "Fine, fine, I'm sorry about eating all the chicken legs at the faculty meeting. Thought it was first come, first serve," she jokingly apologized, though Marie remained silent.

"Victoria, I didn't just bring you here for extra help." Marie kept her face obscured from view, obviously troubled by something. "Once I heard about it, I had to know..."

The redhead broke away from her more seasoned co-worker's hold. "You wanna hear it straight from me, right? If I'm actually gonna try it?" She rested against the wall, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Stein's done it. You've done it. Don't see how my chances are any different." Her smile disappeared, with the luster in her eyes softly highlighted by the orange, late-afternoon rays of sunlight peeking through the window.

"There's more to it, Victoria!" Her voice trembled, but not enough to draw a reaction from Brandt. "She's not just strong. She's clever, _dangerously_ clever. It doesn't matter if you've broken every bone in her body-she _will _find an opportunity. A-And if she does..."

"Y'don't think I've heard the stories? I know damn well what I'm getting into." She pressed forward with a confident stride, leaving on a somewhat bitter note. Victoria flung open the doors to the outside, but before leaving, she offered some parting words to her cohort. "Just let me live out my glory days."

* * *

><p>The purple hue of the crystal ball fogged up, and the witch turned away, satisfied. "So, they've found me out, have they?" She lit a scented candle in the darkness and spread herself across the rug, anticipating the future and the events that would come with it with patience. "Victoria Brandt..." Dryly intrigued with Stein's excuse for a successor, she repeated the name aloud to herself. The witch smirked, feeling a sense of excitement and suspense that she herself hadn't experienced in her centuries-long lifespan. The passage of time never felt slower. "Well then, Brandt, you'd better hurry. At this point, I'm growing unsound at the seams."<p>

**AN: And so it begins! My own hype aside, how was it? Criticism and comments are welcome and encouraged, as are questions. With that said, thanks for reading!**


	18. A serpent's ballad! Victory to claim?

The air had never felt so cold to Victoria. Fog wafted through the forest endlessly, pushed aside only by the dimming light of her soul wavelength emitting from her forearm. Her previously well-kept shoes had lost their store-bought shine, absorbing the moisture of the deadened, squishy grass. She remembered Marie's warning, and only now did her words start to take effect. _I'm invincible, _her forehead pulsed, wanting desperately to believe in herself, shaking away the seeds of doubt recently planted by Marie. _Invincible enough to kill Medusa Gorgon, at least. _Stein was capable enough, so Victoria fancied herself on the same plane, if not higher. And soon, that would be known. She had no ill will towards the good doctor, not by any stretch; but under four years of his tutelage, seeing her fellow classmates look up to him like the meister to surpass all meisters tugged at her envy. Even today, the Death Scythes and the other teachers seemed to regard her in reference to Stein, always 'Stein's graduated apprentice', or, more derisively, 'Stein Junior'. And what better way to finally cut off those ties than to do what he did, _alone. _

_Snap. _

She sprung to action, slamming a bare tree with her wavelength-infused fist to allume a small area around her, checking for disturbances. Nothing stuck out among her immediate surroundings...that is, except for a snapped branch, severed down the middle beneath her shoe. Brandt cursed herself for getting worked up over nothing, dragging a palm down her very irritated face. "_MEDUSA!_" She hollered, hoping for a response—_any _response. All remained static, save for the ghostly white clouds of fog drifting in, shrouding Victoria from the waist down. "What? No welcoming party?" Only now did she begin to lament her four students not being here, making quips in utter silence. And regardless, she was growing tired of waiting. She welcomed herself into the cloudy unknown, wading through the swamp with only the faintest clue of where she was headed.

_Hmm..._ The meister stared upward observantly as she trekked, looking at the peculiar trees surrounding her. They were pitch-black and thin, with no leaves to be found on them, on the ground or otherwise. The branches were what intrigued her; zig-zagging and curving, with a sharp point on the end like that of an arrow. Despite how erratic the pattern of the trees looked, the direction of the 'arrows' was the same for each of them, pointing to somewhere out of Victoria's line of sight. _They're all pointing to some kind of epicenter, and I'm pretty deep in already. I'm getting close. _Despite her innate lack of Soul Perception, Victoria was not immune to the spine-tingling feeling one experiences as they approach a witch. _It's been a long time since I felt really dreadful like this. God, I was Dart's age back then. _Memories began prodding from the back of her mind, reminding her of a day not unlike this one.

* * *

><p>Though as much as she would have liked to blame it on the sun's sweltering rays, the prospect of fighting Stein put Victoria in a sweat. On the front lawn of the Patchwork Lab, she put up a fighting stance, staring at her teacher with a watchful eye. "Ready?" Though Stein spoke in her native tongue, German, not even that could help to ease her fear in the moment. She had heard all about his legendary Soul Force, and its electric menace.<p>

"Y-Yeah." In comparison to him, she never felt scrawnier. The doctor remained on the defensive, keeping a cool head while Victoria bobbed in place, keeping her arms up. She weaved inward, jabbing lightly over and over to gradually break his guard. He stepped, no, _glided _backward, forcing her to chase after him in her assault. He had yet to attack, dodging or blocking every one of her hits. When she saw he was slowly backing into the Lab, a smirk crossed her face. Stein's back thumped against it, and his moment-long hesitation was all that she needed to strike. She dropped her guard and went in with a forceful uppercut while she was close.

And in her very next heartbeat, Victoria was plummeting to the ground. An unexpected sweep kick had shattered her balance, just as she assumed she had Stein cornered. "_Gah!_" All of her weight hit the concrete floor, while her teacher looked down on her, in more ways than one.

"If you come in swinging without a strategy, you're bound to go nowhere, Victoria. I suspect that Saya knows that principle just as well." He offered her a hand up, which she shamefully took. The comparison to her fellow solo classmate was scathing, but it only served to motivate her more. Victoria dusted herself off and backed up, putting a slight space between her and Stein.

"Round two, I'm ready!" She stomped, making herself rigid whilst staring down the doctor once more.

* * *

><p><em>Once I get back, I'll be sure to thank Stein for all those ass-kickings. <em>She thought. The fog had begun to disperse as her eyes faintly made out the outline of a building ahead. The grasses trampled underfoot were now visible to her, as well as a narrow dirt path that almost seemed to know where she was going to. The building, as its features became more clear, was a paling shade of green, taking on a wide, circular shape with no light or any signs of occupancy whatsoever. There wasn't a door, just a rectangular opening where one would be. Even as Victoria drew close, _nothing _could be seen inside, radiating with an unseeable menacing aura that gave her excited goosebumps. She stepped into the dome-shaped building without caution, staring nowhere but ahead.

Victoria clenched her fists and blinked. But nothing happened. The single, large room in the hideout was lit dimly by the luminance of several candles, placed neatly around the room's sides. A low droning noise rumbled behind, as the opening which she entered from was slowly covered by a descending stone, locking her inside. Yet, despite how much she looked, signs of life were positively minimal, save for her own. The only thing that stood out were the candles and the door closing, but even then, Victoria wondered if it was just autonomous, charmed by some kind of magic. She moved closer towards the room's center, her footsteps echoing into the abyss.

_Just one room? Makes for a pretty terrible hideout. _Victoria thought, stopping once she hit the room's middle. _Not to mention, if she kept her research here, it'd be in plain sight. Who knows, maybe I've been overestimating her this whole time! _She peered towards the back, straining her eyes for loosely scattered documents or vials; nothing. "Hm..." At this point, she was beginning to wonder if she had strolled into the wrong hideout. _None of her stuff is here, let alone her. The door locked behind me, and this entire place is wide open. _All of the information hit her at once, as the gears within her started to grind. Victoria's heartbeat quickened. _This isn't just a hideout. It's a trap! _She instantly jolted from her position, moving with a deadly urgency.

Right when she took the first step away, she felt something graze the back of her head, severing a small clump of her hair in the process. A deafening clang sharpened her senses, making her body pulsate with adrenaline. She turned halfway around, meeting her attacker's eyes. Victoria's blood ran dry. A pair of cool, remorseless eyes met hers, clutching an arrow-shaped sword lodged in the ground. _If I hadn't moved just then, I would have died on the spot...! _The meister quickly elbowed, forcing the witch away by a good few feet. Now, she could get a better look at Medusa.

Victoria scoffed. "I came here to mess you up, but it looks like the new body already did it for ya." For the most part, her appearance hadn't deteriorated; for the _most part. _Her left sclera had blackened entirely, with a blood-red pupil that looked so bloodshot it appeared it was almost painful for her to open, giving her a (rather fitting) demonic appearance. She ignored the comment entirely, snapping and bending her muscles as she limbered up. Her bright blonde hair was tied into a single ponytail at the back of her head, twisting together like a pair of golden pythons extending down to her lower back. A snake tattoo was displayed prominently on her right arm, and knowing her from Stein's accounts, Victoria had suspicions its purpose was for more than just a serpent motif. Her clothing was white and loose-fitting, a pair of baggy sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt, likely to keep her as nimble as possible when they fought. She went barefoot as well, despite the decidedly dusty environment they both inhabited.

"Consider it a byproduct of my rather sloppy revival, _Brandt._" She sneered, commanding a power behind her voice that shut even Victoria up. Noticing the meister's discomfort, the witch rested her chin on a hand, tilting her head and smiling at Victoria in a dangerously warm manner. "Oh, surprised? I know all about you, Victoria. You have Type-A Blood, born September 23rd, 1990, you have a major in literature, your parents are both quiet, respected scholars, you currently teach four students during private lessons, and red isn't your natural hair color. All this, learned in the span of a couple days through mere observation."

Victoria went utterly mute following the summation, now only fully realizing the gravity of Marie's words of caution. If Medusa chose to try and unnerve her before battle, then she would just have to sever her feral instincts from her mind. "Medusa! I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!" With her internal filter cut off, she paid no mind to her words, putting her fists up in a barbaric display.

"Uh..." Medusa looked very briefly taken aback, before collecting herself moments after. "Well then, _let's begin._" The corners of her mouth stretched wider than any smile should, contorting with a murderous excitement. "Nake, Snake, Cobra, Cobura, Nake Snake, Cobra, Cobura..." She waved her arms in a slow, rhythmic fashion as she repeated the mantra to herself, keeping her eyes closed and concentrated.

"_HAAAAAAA_!" Victoria wouldn't have it. While the witch was distracted, she charged ahead with her fists clenched, hoping to catch the witch off-guard. She cleared the gap in moments, while Medusa was still mumbling to herself. Victoria skidded and brought her momentum to a halt, just moving her fist from her side as Medusa opened her eyes.

"_Vector Plate!_" An arrow-shaped sigil appeared beneath the witch's feet, suddenly boosting her behind Victoria without any momentum beforehand. The meister whipped around, desperately trying to follow Medusa's movements. "_Another!_" Another plate materialized, shooting her forward to land a nigh-instantaneous dropkick to Victoria's head. She recoiled, clutching her bloodied forehead while she glared at Medusa with the eyes of the devil. Medusa stood with a cocky grin, not even bothering to guard herself while Victoria was just mere feet away.

"Oh, now you've done it!" She ran forward blindly, throwing a haymaker bound to crack a skull.

"Vector Arrow!" Before the punch could so much as graze her, tendrils extended from her back and shot to the ceiling, retracting them to bring her upwards before so much as a finger was laid on her. Victoria cursed, jumping back and instinctively shielding her upper body with her arms. "Now then, my pet..." Her snake tattoo began to twist, the black dots floating off of her skin and becoming solid, leading up to its fearsome head that looked like it could easily crush Victoria's skull in a single, vicious bite. Medusa snapped, giving the attack order.

Victoria was already moving when the snake darted. "Tch! Fight me one-on-one, you bitch!" She slid under the snake's jaw, barely avoiding having her midsection bitten off. "Ha! Better luck next ti—" The snake recovered from its miss far faster than the meister expected it to, her arm immediately seized by the serpent on the rebound. She was slammed against the wall, leaving a crater where she was pinned. Trying to move got her nowhere, with the snake gnawing relentlessly on her left arm. She winced, attempting and failing to shrug off the pain of having her flesh bitten into, with the copious amounts of blood trickling from it not helping matters either. She rebuffed by imbuing her wavelength into the bitten arm, making the snake loosen its grip, if only slightly. In fact, it hardly seemed to react to pain at all, save for the occasional blink when she tried to cave its head in.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements if I were you; flesh and bones are very fragile, after all." She taunted, watching on from the ceiling. The vectors were firmly rooted to their position, keeping Medusa frozen in place there for as long as she needed. Victoria scowled at first, and then her eyes widened, having spotted a design flaw in Medusa's engineered strategy.

_And I bet she thinks I'M cocky. Get a load of yourself, Gorgon; I've just found you out. _The pain dulled as she focused more on the witch, instilled with a renewed confidence. In her current position, Medusa was completely immobile, unless she decided to drop down and get into Victoria's range. Clamoring for breath, Victoria reached for a small chunk of rubble with her free arm, barely the size of a baseball. "S-Shit!" Blood gushed from her other arm, no longer able to keep her wavelength active from the snake's jaws. _All I need is one throw..._ Her eyes sharpened, honing in on her target. If she so much as held the rock up, the witch would inevitably catch onto her plan; it would have to be all at once, in one motion. _GO! _Victoria stood up and chucked the rock as strong as she possibly could, sending it hurtling at Medusa. When she realized it was coming straight at her, it was already too late.

"G-GAH!" A direct hit! The rock crashed against her forehead, losing her concentration, and consequently, her control, over the vectors and snakes simultaneously. Victoria puffed, putting a wavelength-warmed hand over her trickling arm wound. Speaking of wounds, her single hit on Medusa proved to be quite a bloody one, with crimson streams trailing downward onto the pale stone floor. Even with her bleeding forehead, she still had the gall to flash a confident smile. "Hm... And here I assumed you to be nothing more than a dumb muscle. An assumption that proved to be correct."

Victoria's eyes flashed wide open with anger, before taking in a gulp of air. _She's goading me into attacking. If I go in without a strategy..._ Her body solidified, stomping as she rooted herself firmly into the ground, waiting for Medusa to strike first.

Medusa's smile disappeared. "Now, Vector Plate." She gestured upward with her pointer and middle finger, keeping her stance low and ready to bolt at any moment.

_It's not below her...Did she even summon it? _The meister's vision honed in on the ground below the witch, looking for the telltale arrow. Just as she was about to run at Medusa again, she noticed a faint purple glowing at her feet. "N-No!" By the time Victoria saw the plate beneath her, she was hardly able to react, let alone move. Her body propelled forward against her will, straight at a smirking Medusa.

"NNRGH!" She felt the back of Medusa's foot pound against her head, dunking her face-first onto the floor. The pain only served as a further catalyst for her anger, driving her body to start moving and fight back. Just as Victoria began to crawl back up, the witch's foot slammed her back down again.

"You put up a valiant effort." A sharp metallic noise punctured the meister's hearing, and she looked halfway up to see a Vector Blade held mere inches away from her back. "_Now die._" The sword came plunging down.

Victoria's thoughts were overridden by instinct. She shot up, catching the blade in her left hand just as it descended. "_WHAT?!_" Medusa shouted, finally caught off-guard for once. Victoria's teeth were grit and her eyes had gone wide, frenzied with anger.

A fire crackled in the meister's open palm, ignited by her wavelength. "_Soul Force!_" Her fist came driving forth, headed straight for the witch's head.

"_Vector Plate!_" Victoria recognized the magic sigil beneath her own feet and came to her senses. Moving up the blade, her hands seized Medusa's wrist, trading positions with her as she threw her onto the plate. Within a blink, the witch shot back, sent flying until she collided against the hard, stone wall.

"Like Hell I'm getting launched again, Medusa..." She growled, closing in on the downed witch. Her all-knowing grin had become a glowering scowl, having gone from a smug snake to a cornered rat. Her legs staggered, looking brittle and weak; she wouldn't be moving anytime soon, still reeling from the previous blow. Victoria came to a stop in front of her, looking down on her target with remorseless eyes. She imbued both of her hands with her wavelength, silently preparing for the kill.

Victoria took a step closer, not saying a word. "Hm..." Medusa grinned, despite her sorry state.

"What's so funny?" She raised an eyebrow, putting her guard up.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I don't think Stein would have fallen for so obvious a trap." The moment the words left her mouth, Medusa darted from the ground at Victoria, impaling her stomach with a drill-shaped vector entwined around her left hand. The meister lost the color in her face, blood coming out in spurts from her mouth. The witch smirked, letting the rotating arrows dig further into her flesh.

"Is that so...?" Medusa didn't expect to hear a voice coming from someone who was probably barely conscious, looking up from her supposed coup-de-grace. "God, at least wait until I'm _dead _before you brag about your own victory." Like the second the digital face of a bomb ticks down to zero, Medusa tried to run, but knew all too well her time was up. A muscular arm clamped down on the witch's, restraining her despite her best efforts to wriggle away. In mere moments, Victoria had her arms wrapped around Medusa's shoulders, putting the centuries-old witch at her mercy. She shot a hateful, fearing look at the disgustingly confident meister, trying to fire Vectors that ended up squashed in between both the meister and the witch. All at once, Victoria's back arched, bringing Medusa's head crashing down onto hard stone in a devastating suplex. "_SOUL FORCE!_" Just as the slam connected, a raging fire stoked within Medusa, taking the full brunt of the meister's wavelength. A prolonged scream escaped from her lips, with her cold, calculative thoughts overridden with the sensation of unadulterated agony.

Until, silence. The flames quelled. Medusa stopped screaming.

Victoria stood and took a solemn, triumphant breath, before finally reacting to the open wound still troubling her. "_Damn! _I was able to play it cool then, but I'm gonna bleed out for real provided that I don't put a band-aid over that shit." She walked a few feet, and let her body go limp against the wall, keeping a single eye open to keep death's temptation from knocking. Like nails on a chalkboard, an awful scraping noise ceased the dulling of Victoria's senses, if only slightly. "Now that's just sad." Well, it would be, if she felt any pity for the witch.

A wet trail of blood sagged behind Medusa, who was making a desperate crawl to the sealed entrance. Her lips quivered, maddened by the pain, yet so determined to keep living, dignity and pride be damned. Victoria sighed, using the wall as a support to bring herself to her feet. "C'mon, Medusa, you're better than this. Actually, you aren't, but do us both a damn favor." Though she was reduced to a limp, the meister felt a whole lot better about herself in comparison to Medusa dragging herself across the floor in a failing bid to escape. Medusa froze as she saw the towering stature of the meister loom over her, realizing death was imminent. No haunting, parting words. No last-ditch attack. Just Medusa's disheveled image; blood splattered across the fabric of her white robes, her braid undone and her hair scraggly, and dull, how utterly _dull _eyes that now only seemed to beg for the release of death, regardless of what kind of Hell awaited her beyond. The witch slumped up to her knees, baring her teeth wordlessly like a cornered rat. Victoria raised her fist, driving it forward for the last time.

Her punch stopped midway through. In what had hardly been a blink, Medusa, previously on the verge of unconsciousness, was standing. A cold hand had invaded Victoria's mouth, nearly triggering her gag reflex as something decidedly inhuman crawled down her throat. All of this, before Victoria's strike even connected. Medusa's hand yanked away, leaving her gasping for breath. A cool smirk crossed the witch's face, any traces of her previous fear dashed.

"What did you..." Victoria seized her own neck, trying to rid herself of that itching feeling. Something was inside of her. Slithering. _Feeding. _"You... _What the fuck did you do to me?_"

Rather than dignify her with an answer, Medusa merely scoffed, as if she was already supposed to know. "Do you feel that, Victoria?" She asked. "It seems my pets have found an adequate resting place within you. Don't make any sudden movements." Her words were less than cold, speaking of Victoria, a human being, like nothing more than a resource. The proud meister's mouth formed words, but the voice it came out of was a terrified whisper, barely able to string a sentence together, let alone an audible one.

"Listen, Victoria. I am not a killer. First and foremost, I do business, and I come to you with an offer." Medusa's lips hovered by Victoria's ear, with a dangerously soothing edge to her tone. Brandt nodded, staring into distance space while the shock kicked in. "From now on, you've succeeded, Victoria. For all they know, you've killed Medusa Gorgon, and you'll return to DWMA a hero. That recognition you've always craved is yours...at a price. Naturally, you can't have a bargin where only one party benefits, can you? From now on, your primary allegiance falls to me. You wake up, go to the academy, but when I call your name, _you come_, regardless of what you were doing beforehand."

She went on. "Oh, and don't bother telling anyone. By phone, face-to-face, or written, the snakes will know. And allow me to be blunt when I say _you will die on the spot. _No dying message or anything of the sort. The snakes within you are numerous enough to consume you in all but a second when I give the order. Of course, your services won't last forever. I'd give it a year before my darlings finally cave and decide to devour you right then and there. Did you get all of that? Or would you care to hear it once more?" The meister collapsed. Silence blared in her ears. Four years of training, months upon months of fond memories at the DWMA, instantly turned against her at the threat of death. She was useless, no, detrimental to humanity at large now. A pawn of the great witch, and when she inevitably died, and when everyone would inevitably discover the truth, Victoria knew she would go down as a treacherous coward.

"Until next time, Victoria..." Medusa spun on her heel and walked away with a special kind of arrogance. She was battered, bloodied, and bruised, far more than Brandt herself was. Both were aware though, that there was a difference between the two.

They departed in opposite directions, but on that day, after that decisive bloodbath, only Medusa walked away with victory.


	19. An aftermath

The wine going down Victoria's lips feels hollow, as does her smile, while the Death Scythes and faculty congratulate her for her triumph over the great witch. And how tempting it was, to consider jumping out of her cushy red-laced chair among her peers, and _screaming _a plea, to release the unspeakable thought resting inside her head: _Medusa Gorgon is alive._

But instead, she stands in the corner of the faculty room, serving drinks with an ironed-on grin, trying desperately to keep up with the jovial mood created by her supposed victory. Justin Law's got his earphones out, and by the looks of it, not very reluctant about it. Nygus's hair is messy, bandages off while she kicks back with her legs outstretched, like reliving her college days all over again. Mifune's dozing off in the corner, taking a well-deserved rest with the comforting knowledge that Angela's being babysat by someone capable. Sid's mustering something of a smile through his constant grimace, telling war stories to eager listeners. Oh, and Spirit's drunk off his ass, but that was necessarily something unique to that night in particular. Victoria's coworkers seem to acknowledge her presence, and express a degree of concern of her sudden introvertedness, but after a simple "I'm fine.", they don't press any further.

Eventually though, Marie pulls her outside on the balcony, where only the many sparkling lights of tall buildings and stretching streets shone in the darkened metropolis of Death City.

"Well, you certainly proved me wrong." She said, staring out onto the moonlit desert. Looking at her expression, Victoria can see a wistfulness in Marie's face, like she was sorry for ever doubting her.

Victoria searched for the correct response at the bottom of her wine glass. "You weren't entirely wrong, y'know..." She caught herself before she went any further, taking another sip to fill in the gaps.

"Wait, what do you—" Marie's eyes fell on her with concern, but Brandt brushed it away with a brief wave of the hand, keeping her gaze unfocused and long. The conversation came to an awkward halt, making eye contact only in occasional glances before Marie spoke up again. "So, have you told Stein yet?" Victoria blinked, snapping into lucidity as the question struck her. After minutes of lazily overlooking the city, she stood, heading back into the faculty room with a numbness in her expression.

"I'll get around to it."

* * *

><p>She left the party early, sticking around for only an hour before leaving. She had gotten a text telling her where to go, and Victoria needed no reminder as to who it was.<p>

"Victoria, the beaker, please." A dim lamp's bulb illuminated the table Medusa was hunched over on, in a cramped room that Brandt suspected would be the first of many seedy hideouts. Victoria said nothing, passive-aggressively slamming the glass onto the desk. "That's delicate material you're handling. I'd _suggest_ being more careful." She noted offhandedly, holding the vial in the light and straining her mismatched eyes. The witch was completely and utterly absorbed in...whatever she was doing. Victoria peeked over her shoulder, but trying to get a glance at Medusa's notes granted nothing useful in terms of information; it was all gibberish, whether it was a cipher of some sort or another language entirely remained a mystery.

"Yeah, I'd hate to damage something..." The meister heaved a giant gasp silently while she honed in on her captor, back turned and guard completely down. If she was to end it right then and there, it would have to be in one move. Her eyes darted across the room for potential murder weapons as Medusa worked away diligently. A scalpel laying on the shelf looked discrete enough, and picking it up wouldn't make much noise. _Won't work_, Victoria thought dismissively, _she'll have to bleed out before she dies, she'll blow me up then and there. _She scanned further, until settling on a battery-powered digital clock diagonal to Medusa's workspace. A single blow to the head would kill her—or at the very least knock her out. Her fingers carefully gripped the surface of the heavy plastic, strangling herself just to stay quiet. She lifted it overhead, her vision locking onto the back of the witch's head.

"_Don't _try it." Her resolve faltered when Medusa's glare suddenly shot her way, dropping the clock immediately. It was over; she braced for the immediate pain, knowing death's embrace was nigh. To her surprise, however, when Victoria opened her eyes, her organs were still intact, perfectly alive. "My snakes sensed the ruggedness of your breathing and alerted me to it. Simple science." She finished talking, but her gaze didn't leave Victoria. A twinkle ignited in her eyes, the same kind as Stein's whenever he saw something that challenged his technical brain. She pushed herself out of her chair and seized Victoria's right wrist, examining the scarlet glove with interest.

"Hey, back off—!" She yanked away, but Medusa's curiosity knew no bounds.

"There's no way this is solely for cosmetic purpose. No mistaking it, that's Stein's design." She drew her finger onto the skull insignia on the glove's palm area. "But the question is... _What does it hide?_" Her hand glided downwards to the bottom, reaching for the latch that unlocked the glove from her hand.

"Aaand that's enough." Victoria swatted the nosy hand, putting some space between her and Medusa. The witch made no attempt to assert dominance over her, merely sinking back into her chair with a contented smile aimed at Victoria.

"No matter." She used a minuscule arrow to file her nails, keeping the new recruit in the corner of her pulsating right eye. "I'll find out eventually. But for tonight, you're dismissed."

"You bitch..." The meister muttered, storming out of the room without hesitance.

"Enjoy your night as well." She snarked back, swiftly delving back into her research.

* * *

><p>Once Victoria arrived back at the Patchwork Lab, she hit the couch like a rock, falling into near-immediate sleep. Despite her scarring that day, physically and mentally, her body was able to shut down surprisingly easy, disregarding her nagging wounds and frantic thoughts, merely sinking deeper into the cool cushioning.<p>

Morning, however, was not so kind.

"_Oh, no._" Victoria awoke in a sweat, staring upward at the ceiling with widened eyes. _In a year, I'll be dead._ The stress of the whole situation hit her harder now than the day before, paralyzed with the prospect of her 'new purpose' in life. Cassiel, Dart, Julian, Alice... She saw them on a regular basis, and if Medusa were to take an interest in them... The thought shook her to the core.

"So you've awaken." The cold voice punctured her left ear like a knife across skin. She whipped around, only to find that no one was there. "If you're wondering where I am, it's thousands of miles away. Think of me as a little birdie, if you will."

She looked around one last time, calling the witch's bluff. "...You better be..."

"Now, throw on some coffee, because I need you to listen carefully. I've arranged some schedule changes for you..."

* * *

><p>Spirit and Lord Death looked at Victoria in shock, struggling to piece together her motivations. The Death Room was all but quiet, save for their voices. "Victoria, what the Hell's this talk about? You just killed <em>Medusa<em>, and now this?" He paced back and forth, and though he was certain some of his irritability was from the hangover, the confusion was genuine. The woman refused to speak, glaring off to the side with grit teeth as if she was on the verge of letting something out. "Do you want less hours? Is that it?" He forced her to meet his eyes, making himself the target of her burning stare. "Or was four students too much to handle? At least dignify us with an answer, god damn it!"

Finally, she snapped, getting up in the Death Scythe's face in retaliation. "Can you shut the hell up for two seconds? You don't need to _know _why I'm doing this, just know that I am." Brandt stormed off, dropping her resignation form at Spirit's feet. There was a long pause between Lord Death and Spirit, trying to make sense of it all.

The reaper's head drooped slightly, his vast and hollow eyes gazing at the floor with a disturbed apprehensiveness. "Spirit, I'm at a loss here. What... What could have spurred this on?"

Spirit shook his head, assessing the situation somewhat more calmly now. "She seemed really out of it last night too. Knowing the circumstances, I don't know if I can fault her. She's hardly eighteen and she went right in and fought Medusa. I've hardly had a conversation with the witch and I still get nightmares every now and then. _Still_, she's leaving behind a lot of responsibility that she created. Who knows, maybe after throwing her in a couple therapy sessions, she'll bounce right back. We can arrange for a substitute right away, if you want."

Lord Death heaved a sigh, meeting his own reflection in the mirror. "I suppose that makes a little sense, doesn't it? But I still wonder. Why would someone of her caliber drop down to janitor duty?"

* * *

><p>Dart strode through the academy's halls briskly, trying to avoid the thick stream of students coming back from and heading to the cafeteria. He affixed his vision just in front of him, in such a hurry that he failed to notice a propped-up 'CAUTION: WET FLOOR' sign and the puddle of water beneath it. His eyes widened at the fatal moment, time moving slower as he lost his footing and slipped. "Aw, n—"<p>

"Got you." A strong arm slipped under his back, halting his fall before putting him back on his feet. Dart dusted himself off, reaching to shake his savior's hand.

"Thanks sir, dunno what woulda happened if you weren't—" He locked eyes with the janitor and nearly yelped. "_Victoria?_"

"Oi, oi, don't give me that expression. It's just a side gig." She turned away in what looked to be shame; surprising, considering her usual boisterous self. "Listen, it's only for a little while, and I swear to god, if you go around tellin' people I've been—"

"Victoria, I get it." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully at her, eliciting a brief pause from the redhead. She cocked her head with a mild glare, looking about ready to sock him in the jaw. His heartbeat quickened, making a note to get to the point.

"You do? Really?"

"Yup. Being so active and all, you decided to take a second job to keep the blood flowin'! Am I right?" He said, only then realizing how stupid he must have sounded. At the very least though, she seemed amused by it, her stone-cold face crumbling into a grin. She ruffled up his already-messy hair in a playful gesture, making him feel condescended upon, but still reluctantly welcoming it with a pair of rosy cheeks.

"Heh, you never cease to amaze. Tell Alice I said hi, when ya can." She snagged a mop and went to work on the floor, brows furrowed in rare quietness. He hesitated as he began his leave, giving her a final, unreturned wave before jogging ahead to his next class.

**AN: Hello again! With this being the first "serious" chapter I've attempted thus far, I want to know your thoughts. Of course, as I'm sure you've become well aware of by now, critique is just as welcome here, as are questions, comments, and the like.**


	20. Unearth a buried past! Nice to meetcha?

The library's atmosphere was suffocating, beating down all who dwelled there with an ever-present silence. Lit only by sparse candles, the dull-colored bookshelves looked to be shadowy giants, rooted to their place in the eerie stillness of the room. Obviously, the perfect kind of place for a fidgety, irritable loudmouth like Julian Leone, who, admittedly, was only there to score some homework answers from the resident study group.

"Yo, Alice. What'd you get for question five?" Julian's eyes crept to his fellow weapon's homework, praying _desperately _that she'd forgive his less-than-warm interactions with her in the past few months. Just as he glanced over the first word of her sentence-long answer, the paper was cruelly yanked out of his sight, like finding a flashlight in the dark only for it to die seconds later.

Alice's prim and proper face contorted into a snide look, betraying Julian's pleading eyes. "Maybe if you'd studied more you wouldn't be in this predicament. Allow me to be frank, Julian; it costed my family hundreds to get me here, hours upon days to condition my weapon form for meister use, God knows how time poured into reviewing the material for classes, and you expect me to lend someone like you a hand for _free_?"

Julian could hear the veins popping in his forehead, but decided to play it off as his father often did during many a poker game, keeping his expression cool and without blemish. "Well, if I can get about as far as you did with nothing but a bus pass for fifty bucks and forged paperwork, then yeah. Maybe." For once in a lifetime, he managed to ruffle Alice's unshakable forbearance, her eyes wide and mouth agape at the audacity of the statement. The anger in her face spiked before fiercely focusing back to her homework.

"...Regardless, you won't be sneaking any answers from me." Alice muttered, and Julian knew there was no room left to negotiate with her.

"Julian," Across the table, a low voice spoke his name with a quiet impatience to it, sending chills up his spine. Cole's deep brown eyes burnt a hole into the scrawny blond, holding a look that wasn't quite a scowl but intimidating nonetheless. "Please refrain from verbal rough-housing within the study table, as we prefer to keep this a studious and quiet environment. The same applies to you, Alice." He concluded, returning to his own stack of schoolwork to complete. Alice resigned herself to a huff, putting a thick book in-between her and Julian.

_Eh, I still got options. _He scanned carefully the table members, taking note of each face. Alice was already a no-go, Cole was too fed up with his shenanigans, he had a creeping suspicion Georgina wasn't too fond of him, and lastly, Cassiel. His eyes lit like glistening diamonds—surely his meister would be happy to help, probably. He poked her shoulder, grabbing her attention. "Hey, Cassiel—"

"Cassiel, you _have _to read this part." A second voice chirped up, diverting the Esper's focus away from him. Julian leaned on the table to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator, which slowly morphed into a glare once he saw who; Georgina, that cunning introvert, who spent most of her time reading comics, except around Cassiel, in which case, she became the DWMA's most talkative student.

"Ah, is this one of those _mayn-gahs_ you've told me oh-so-much about, Georgina?" She studied the monochrome pages with wide eyes, flipping it sideways and upside down before Georgina gently steadied it with her (at the moment, only) left arm.

"Yeah, I f-figured you might like it. Basically, it's about this really hairy hero named Two Kicks Man—that's also the name of the manga—and a-as it implies, he kills _everything _in just two kicks! But, but, but, he has a noble spirit! And the public hates him due to contrived coincidences, but thankfully, there's no brooding, and..." She went on, somehow maintaining Cassiel's interest for entire monologues further while Julian took a trip straight to zonesville, repeatedly nudging Cassiel and making all-too-obvious gagging noises.

"_What?_" After a solid two minutes of uninterruption, the Esper whipped around, jolting Julian up with a surprising anger in her expression.

The greaser became tentative, casually leaning on the table with his elbow and looking elsewhere. "Yeah... So, uh, whadjya get for number five, anyway?"

She was brief and straight to the point, letting Julian copy it down before picking up where she left off in her conversation with Georgina. "Come on, really? Aren't you just a little embarrassed by this?" He muttered, reclining in his chair with a feeling he hesitated to describe as jealousy.

"Well, Julian, I'm not quite sure you're at this level of reading comprehension" Julian didn't expect to get a reply, one eye opening to the sound of Georgina's passive-aggressive tone. A residual temper in his gut slowly flared back up, with both girls' eyes on him.

"What are you talking about? There's gotta be only one or two words per page!" His fingers bent inward, nails digging into the hardwood of the table.

Georgina blinked, hardly fazed. "...Yeah, your point being?"

Leone snapped, rising to a half-stand. "Are you implyin' what I think you're implyin'?" In hindsight, he thought it amazing how he could maintain a degree of composure with the much-harsher Alice, yet this girl, only about Cassiel's height, perhaps shorter, could drive him mad with just a few soft-spoken words.

"_A-hem._" A pair of armored boots clanged behind him, freezing him to the spot as he realized the hole he had dug for himself.

"H-Hey!" Julian's forced departure from the library wasn't nearly as gentle as he had hoped, quite literally kicked out of the room and onto the floor.

"Terribly sorry, Julian, I do hope no lasting injuries were sustained from that. But, I made my intentions clear, and you chose to disobey. Good day." Cole apologized, though it didn't help to ease his residual bitterness.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm out." He waved backhandedly, walking through the sparsely-populated hallway well after school without direction. His face remained blank, and his newfound loneliness was only punctuated by the sound of his echoing footsteps ringing into the nothingness for nobody to hear except his sour self. In a desire to rid himself of the indescribable emptiness, he reached for his cell, scrolling through his meager list of contacts desperately. 'Friends' who hadn't spoken to him in months clogged the screen from head-to-toe, making Julian twitch an eye at the sight of it. "Lousy cowards, all of you..." Every name he saw, every face who had left him for their own sorry skins, he cursed.

"_Wait._" His thumb stopped abruptly, honing in on one name, _one name _that didn't give him a migraine to look at. He leaned against a locker, sighing before pressing the phone to his ear.

* * *

><p><em>Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!<em>

The sleeping giant gradually rose from his slumber, stirred by an incessant buzzing from his pocket. Dart's heavy eyelids narrowed, flinching at the light of his phone screen despite it being broad daylight out. Without looking, he laid the phone on the side of his head, lacking the energy to keep it held. "Hello...?"

"Yo, Dart." The voice on the other end nearly toppled Dart off the couch, rousing him to sit up with a revived energy.

"_Julian Marcello Leone! _Never thought I'd see the day!" He was still reeling from the shock, holding the phone in front of his face to make sure his senses hadn't defied him. He sat up on the couch's cushion, wondering if Julian could hear him bellowing from one of the neighboring apartments. "Y'know in our three months of friendship, you never bothered to call! Not once!"

"Dart," the weapon began, but he refused to Julian get a word in edgewise.

"But nothin'! There's no excuse for that kinda behavior! Y'know how much this heart has been hurting 'cause my _dear friend's _been neglecting our—"

"Dart, shut up for a sec." Julian cut in swiftly, allowing the meister to stop and breathe for a moment while he took the conversation's reins. "...You wanna hang out today?"

"A-A-A-A-A-A-A-Ah..." He fell short of words, forcing a gulp down his throat.

* * *

><p><em>Beep. Beep. Beep.<em>

Julian looked down to see that Dart had hung up, much to his dismay. "What the Hell...?" He narrowed his eyes, wondering what had caused the meister's short-circuit, so to speak. Kicking up from the lockers, he began his exit, hands shoved in his pockets as he stormed away in anger and self-pity.

Though, the walk down the hall felt a bit different than moments ago. It was the same scenery, nobody in sight, but the silence was no longer all-consuming. No, there was something filling in the gaps of white noise, something coming Julian's way. Tapping, tapping, growing louder and louder until it finally piqued his curiosity enough to make him turn around.

A loud skidding of sneakers against the squeaky floor echoed into the quiet hallway, accompanied by a speed-generated dust cloud. Just feet away stood Dart, wide-eyed, staring at Julian in both urgency and wonder. "...Y'said you wanted to hang out?"

"Y-yeah." He wasn't quite sure whether to be flattered or terrified at Dart's startlingly swift arrival, but welcomed it nonetheless. "Anyways, what do you wanna do?" Despite asking, he had no intention of letting Dart choose their plans for the afternoon; his country sensibilities were far from what Julian had in mind.

The bush-headed teen became pensive, considering the question with his chin laid on his palm. "I'unno. Me and Alice were actually headed to do a high-rank mission t'gether, do you and Cassiel wanna come too?"

Julian's mental gears began their rotations, grinding together an excuse in no time flat. "Oh, them? They're busy. Studying for something, probably. Let's just do something else, alright?" He shrugged, shaking his head as if he was genuinely sorry.

"Then..." Dart pursed his lips at Julian, which he could only interpret as a bad sign. His fingers snapped, hit with an optimistic spark that the weapon couldn't share with him. "Why don't _you _be my weapon?"

Leone was taken aback, openly gawking at the proposal. "What?" Dart wasn't fazed in the slightest, his face and tone completely serious. Truth be told, however, Julian didn't feel quite all that uncomfortable at the idea. It was completely foreign to him, but at the same time he wondered _why not, _like being faced with an exotic dish. "I mean... _I guess._" His face reddened, not wanting to admit his increasing willingness to experiment.

Dart beamed and went in for a high-five. "Aw yeah, dream team! Up top!"

The hand dangled in the air, awaiting Julian's response. "Dart..." He sighed, looking away in what appeared to be embarrassment. "_Dream team!_" His palm aggressively _smacked _against Dart's, grabbing it and transitioning to a rough handshake in brotherly fashion. "We're gonna be the new hit thing! Unbeatable, I tell ya!" Somehow, Dart had managed to rope Julian into this zany scheme, and _somehow_, he was one-hundred percent ready to act on it, perhaps even more so than Dart.

* * *

><p>"Don't forget, you might run into a few others!" Lord Death waved to Justin Law as the latter made his departure from the Death Room, walking down the long guillotine path, though he showed no signs of having heard the Reaper. For a moment, he <em>considered <em>giving Law a good wallop on the head, but decided against it; he could always gossip with Spirit about it later anyways. And now, only Lord Death remained in the dimensional pocket that laid in the center of the academy. A sigh broke through his mask, noting how uncomfortable it was to hear his voice, his natural voice, when nobody was around to banter with. Millenia could go by in a few days for Lord Death, and yet, staring at the mirror and meeting his own aged self in the reflection while awaiting a call from Kidd, was enough to put a dent in his immortal psyche. He remained still, uncannily so, for the sake of formality, yet he strained himself to do so, making him question if he was any different from the humans he governed over. When the mirror finally began to ripple, a great sigh escaped the Reaper, his figure slouching before bouncing straight back up. The numbers _forty-two, forty-two, five sixty-four, _became smudged on the mirror, blurring out Lord Death's reflection until someone entirely new stood on the other side of the mirror.

"Father," Kidd's voice came in before the mirror had fully formed, giving his father a brief shock.

"Kidd!" It was unprofessional, especially for that of an Elder God, but after his son's long absence, Lord Death couldn't hold it in. "Well, how have things been?" It almost slipped his mind that Kidd and several others were on nothing short of a military expedition, before correcting his levity with a brief _a-hem_.

"It's been... _interesting. _Witch architecture is quite something..." His golden eyes darted to the side, biting his tongue as if to keep a few words inward.

"Let it out, Kidd."

"_Thecolorschemelacksanysortofconsistency,northeabhorrentstrcutureofthebuildings,doyouKNOWhowmanyspiralstheyputontheirhouses,despitehowlittletheyactualllyrequirethem?ItsutterlyINANEfatherIcringeatthesightofitandUGH!_" Kid's mouth motored away, letting out what Lord Death suspected was months' worth of pent-up frustration. Lord Death nodded understandingly, just glad to see his son alive. Before long, Kidd halted himself, sighing one last time and clearing his throat.

"Hey Kidd, who ya talkin' to over there? Is it your _girlfriend?_" A shrill cry from out of the mirror's scope broke up the conversation, making Kidd's head whip around.

"_It's my dad!_" The young Reaper shouted, his expression turning from anger to shock as the sound of quick footsteps grew closer. "Hey, what do you think you're—" Kidd was punched out of the mirror's frame, replaced with Black Star, his face displayed front and center.

"You really need to work on getting to the point, Kidd! This is a mission report, remember?!" Black Star chided, making an effort to show off his muscles and recent battle scars.

"Listen here, you!" Kidd took hold of the call, slamming Black Star to the floor with a heel kick. "As I was saying—" _Just _as everything reached a relative calm, a sizeable book thwapped in his face, disabling the Reaper into a state of shock before crumpling to the ground like a wet paper bag.

"Erm..." Lord Death paused, still trying to catch up with the (graduated!) students antics.

Maka Albarn panted, looking at the two fallen students below her, before affixing her gaze to the mirror. "H-Hi, Lord Death."

"Oh, hello, Maka." He remembered he was supposed to receive a briefing, and composed himself accordingly. The scythe-meister nodded, her optimistic emerald eyes having become a little more jaded since Lord Death and Spirit waved them all goodbye. "I'm sure you've grown rather weary of the small talk and all, but tell me, how... _is it _there?" Having not ventured to the Witch Realm in ages, even before his constriction to Death City, he had to wonder what went on behind closed dimensions regarding their views on the DWMA. Still, if they weren't so _dodgy _about _everything, _perhaps there wouldn't _be _Witch hunts, Lord Death thought, keeping his rage inward as always.

"Well..." Maka put her hand to her chin, obviously reflecting on the experience thus far. "Permission to speak frankly?"

"Granted."

"It sucks. Without a doubt, one of the worst experiences of my life. The officials are nice and all, but the population at large _hate _us. Not that I can really blame them, but the attacks seem to be growing more and more frequent the farther we get in. Killik, Ox, and Kim are all benched right now because of it. Thankfully, we haven't taken any casualties besides our intended targets, but..." Her knuckles whitened, before releasing them in a passive breath. "I just wanna get it over with."

"Maka," Lord Death began. "for someone in your situation, it's perfectly understandable to be angry. In fact, you've displayed immense self-control for someone of your talent. Still, don't _ever_ think that allows you to 'let go' at any moment. Every beating you take, every fight you enter, you _must _end it non-lethally unless specifically directed otherwise. If not...larger things are at stake here." He shut his eyes on his mask, indulging in a solitary moment.

...Only to come back wearing Death City-brand _everything_: baseball cap, foam finger, soft drink, and shorts, despite not having legs. "And we're your biggest fans, so don't you ever forget that!"

Maka's eyes narrowed, still millennia behind behind the Death God's shenanigans. "...Got it. Albarn out!" She saluted, ending the call.

* * *

><p>For Dart and Julian, the trek through the Amazon basin remained relatively quiet, running into surprisingly few threats besides the occasional large, intimidating bug that buzzed by. Branches scrunched at their feet, fauna constantly obscured whatever laid in front of them, and yet, they had still sunken into a monotonous calm, unthreatened by their general surroundings. Nothing had attacked them, and by the looks of it, it was unlikely anything was <em>going <em>to. Where Dart was leading him, Leone had naught but a clue, but it wasn't urgent, at least not yet.

"Hey, Dart." Julian began, treading two steps behind the meister. "'s taking us so long? Feels like we've been running in circles forever." His legs were already starting to give out, dragging his feet along the dirt path. He gave Julian a curious look, like he wasn't sure he was joking or not.

Dart's mouth hung slightly agape, appearing a little confused before pulling himself together while he walked. "Julian... Y'know our target ain't in the jungle, right? There's a little more 'til we're there."

"What?!" Julian hollered, his aching muscles speaking for him. "How much more then? I ain't gonna last forever here..."

The meister didn't answer, focused on whatever was in front of him as he brushed past another thick layer of gargantuan leaves. He stopped, causing Julian to bump into him before getting a peek himself. "...Actually, I think we're here now."

"Oh." Julian sighed loudly, just relieved.

It was huge, likely matching the DWMA in size. And while the DWMA was constantly bustling with life, this place radiated with the exact opposite. Despite being absolutely _massive_, it held no signs of habitation, perhaps not even in months judging by the moss and vines running down its surface. Above all, what struck Julian most was that the castle, if one could call it that, looked to be flipped completely upside-down, resembling a spider tossed on its back, with the six 'legs' pointing straight to the heavens. It was housed in a mile-wide crater, like it had just been dropped there out of the blue.

"Hey, Julian." Dart elbowed the blond lightly. "Hey. Hey, Julian." The meister pestered him, trying to grab his attention. "It's kinda funny-lookin'. Almost like a shortcake." He joked, seemingly unfazed by all of this. "Heh, you gotta see it too, don'tcha? From the right angle, it looks just a little like a shortcake, am I right?"

Julian went silent, staring far off into the distance. "Julian. You ain't looking from the right angle. Gotta tilt your head a bit. Hold on, lemme help y—"

"_Dart._" Julian snapped, facing him with a short-tempered glare. "You said we we're goin' on a _mission._"

"Yeah," he blinked. "aren't we?"

A fixed smile formed on Julian's face, on the verge of collapsing into mouth-frothing, hair-tearing rage. "Buddy. I came here expecting some lowbrow soul crook, not—not this. So either, we ditch and go do something normal teenagers do, or I'm out." He coolly yanked on the frills of his jacket, immediately strutting away from the scene.

The moment Leone didn't hear footsteps behind him, he stopped, turning to see what was keeping him waiting. "Y'know, Julian, my mama taught me better than to say this, but..." Dart was leaning against a thin tree, wearing a shit-eating grin that just begged Julian to inquire.

And so he did, with a dragging sigh. "What is it, Dart?"

"Naw, naw, it's too cruel. Dunno if you'd be able to handle it. Pride's the biggest thing you can have, right?" The country boy was growing too wry for his own good, slowly-but-surely goading Julian, much to his chagrin. "You ain't...Well, _chicken_, are you?"

**/**

They were already scaling the high castle, trying to find an entrance point through an open window. "I will never, ever forgive you for this." The weapon muttered in whip form, knowing full well he was playing right into Dart's simple ploy.

"...You gotta admit, it was a little clever." He snickered, thoroughly amused. Using the vines as leverage, he slowly ascended, the sun beating down on him with further fatigue that threatened to send him plummeting to a messy death should he let go. When Dart finally stumbled upon an open window, he threw himself over, taking a minute to catch his breath while Julian sat beside him, urging him to get up.

"Heeyyy, Dart, we better start moving soon..." His eyes shifted back and forth, paranoid, while his (temporary meister was taking a breather. Small patches of light from the windows flooded into the curved hallway, with any other means of illumination long defunct by the time Dart and Julian arrived. The rancid scent of dried, decayed blood invaded Julian's nostrils, ever-present even among the mass of plants that had infested the castle. He peaked his head outside and took a good sensory indulgence, wondering if he'd ever experience it again after wandering into the ominous place.

"Yeah, no point in sticking' around." He conceded, kicking himself up and onto his feet. His first instinct was to take an immediate left at an open door, deeper into the hollowed castle. "Relax Julian, it's juuust a routine mission. Ain't nothin' different from the usual slog." Dart looked at Julian in a way that was probably meant to reassure, but given the long-deadened atmosphere, he had some reason to be nervous.

Julian threw himself to the corner, completely backed against the wall. "Unh-unh. I ain't going any further than here." The room's complete lack of features froze him, however 'safe' it appeared to Dart. The meister spun around on his heel to face him, staring expectantly.

"C'mon now, do you see _anything _here that could hurt us?" Dart took a step forward, and suddenly, the floor grumbled lowly before ascending to high-pitched cracks.

"Dart!" Julian squeezed further into the corner, hastily gesturing for him to stop moving. The meister squinted at him, trying to read his expression. "Are you deaf?! Stop moving!" His voice had become a shrill whisper, speaking through his gritting teeth.

"Julian," he glared. "This is serious! Y'all better stop yanking my chain here. Now let's get a move-on..." Turning back 'round, he made way to the door only a few feet away. The cracks became rapid, and Julian could already see the faint incisions in the floor leading to Dart's footsteps. "Julian. For real now." He was paused where he stood, just shy of a few steps from the exit. The blond's eyes bulged, with the knowledge that all but a stiff breath could collapse the floor beneath them.

Dart turned, placing his foot firmly on the ground as he did so.

"_No!_" Julian shrieked, as the final catalyst for the floor's crumbling took effect, taking down Dart and Julian with it. The two screamed for their lives, a sound that echoed with them as they rapidly descended. With everything blazing past, Julian could make out that the surrounding walls were entirely dirt save for a few hole-doors, leaving wonder as to whether it was intentionally hollowed out. He locked eyes with Dart and nodded, assuming his whip form in midair. In a coordinated effort, Dart quickly seized him, activated the rope, and quickly snapped it to a jutting branch sticking from the earthen wall.

"P-Phew..." The meister took a moment to breathe, staring downwards at the unending abyss that fate could have potentially paired him with. With a quick gulp, he disregarded it, swinging on the branch until he gained enough momentum to do a flip, landing safely inside a nearby hole. There was no divergence on the dirt path immediately ahead; either walk straight forward into the cramped darkness, or jump back down.

"You first." Julian gave Dart a light slap on the back, allowing him to take the lead. With a hint of bitterness, he went ahead, though part of him knew he deserved it for ignoring Julian's warnings beforehand.

As the two ventured further into the rabbit hole, the space seemed to grow increasingly tight, to the point where Dart had to arch his neck just to avoid grazing the dirt ceiling. "You feelin' a little claustrophobic over there, Julian?" He asked.

"_Gah!_" Julian aggressively swatted at a falling centipede before stomping it to oblivion. "Sorry, you say something?" He asked. The rumble from before started up again, but this time, it felt louder, _closer. _

"Move!" Dart embraced Julian and dove forward, fuelled by adrenaline alone. An ominous groan echoed into the chamber, letting loose piles upon piles of dirt from the cracks in the ceiling. The two buried their heads in the ground, hiding their faces from the dust and specks flying en masse in all directions. Once the storm settled, Dart took a hesitant stand, wriggling his leg out of a particularly heavy dirt clump and scanning the area. Julian, his face still tucked, couldn't see what had happened, but the audible gulp from Dart told him all he needed to know.

"...What is it?" Dread overcame Julian, having the sinking feeling he already knew what went wrong.

A gap filled the meister's speech. "...You ain't gonna like it."

"Just spit it ou—"

"—We're sealed in." He squeaked out. Julian immediately raised his head, feeding into the morbid curiosity that made his heart race.

His pulse came to a dead stop. _Say it ain't so_, he thought, eyes dully meeting the brown wall in front of him, barring any light from entering.

Dart watched Julian's face and braced, expecting an (admittedly justified) outburst of catastrophic proportions. But instead, he calmly turned, faced the mounds of earth, and began tracing his finger over it. "Hey, Julian, what are ya..." He peeked over Julian's shoulder, trying to get a better view until the blond's head whipped to meet his.

"I'm writing an epitaph. Y'know, for my _tomb._" Julian moaned. "I've got a start right here: _Here lies Julian Leone, too good for this sinful world. _How about that?" It was clear to Dart now that Julian was in full-delirious mode, donning a sagging expression that had given up any hope of escape in seconds. Putting on his best fake smile, he offered his hand to Julian in hopes of getting ahold of him before he went too far off the deep end.

"C'mon now, we aren't _completely _trapped. There's nowhere else to go but deeper!" Dart looked towards the abyss of the corridor a shred of optimism, certainly a better alternative than waiting to rot. Julian grunted pitifully, pulling himself up from Dart's arm.

"Kill me." He covered his eyes with his right hand, refusing to take so much as a peek in the pitch-blackness.

"Only with courtesy, Julian. Only with courtesy." Dart mumbled wearily, suddenly feeling a great sympathy for his mother for being able to put up with a whiner like himself in his childhood.

Even so, keeping up a happy-go-lucky mask was wearing thinner on Dart by the minute. His mind toyed at the possibility of the dirt corridor being endless—a maddening trick devised to keep them walking until their legs or their sanity gave out, whichever came first. The dirt scrunched beneath his feet, seeping into his shoes just a little more with each step. He hesitated to describe hand-holding Julian as dead weight, but Dart felt certain Julian would become useful later on...probably.

The smallest of glints appeared in Dart's vision, just ahead of him. He broke into a dumb, gap-toothed smile, quickly nudging Julian to nab his attention. "Julian! Julian, y'see that? Light's ahead! We're almost out!" He waited until the weapon dropped his hand from his eyes, taking a shared joy in seeing Julian's expression like a Christmas tree. Leone fell short of words, merely letting out a large puff of air that spoke better than words. "Almost there, y'see...?" Dart's eye twitched, holding Julian's arm uncomfortably tight as the saving light grew closer.

"Hey," Julian began, laughing at himself a little bit. "it almost looks like the light's getting closer to _us_, kinda." He chuckled. Dart too stifled a quick laugh, but as he considered it, _yeah_, it _did_ seem as if the light was approaching them as they approached it, albeit at a much more subdued pace. Dart and Julian halted, staring closely to verify the hypothesis. Utter silence, as the small shard of light bobbed up and down in a rhythmic pattern that closely resembled walking. The two shot glances at each other, sweating like mad. Their only other exit prior to jumping in was now blocked; at this point, confrontation was inevitable.

"Don't need to remind me twice!" Julian was eager to abandon his vulnerable, squishy human form in exchange for a cold, metal wand, seized in-between Dart's fingers and ready to fire.

"Show yourself!" Dart shouted, thumb hovering over the trigger. The soft shuffling of the dirt among footsteps became audible, erasing any semblance of doubt he once had to a third person's presence. His heart convulsed and raced, eyes firmly locked onto the light ahead, glimmering menacingly like the lure of an angler fish. Faintly, Dart could make out a pair of human legs making calm strides towards him mere meters away.

The figure stepped in front of him. "_FIRE!_" Julian screamed. At the last moment, Dart's thumb smashed the trigger, letting loose a compression of his soul wavelength with the force of a shotgun blast. A cry echoed in the darkness, the earlier light disappearing at once as the carrier dropped to the ground. Julian de-transformed, taking a step forward with Dart to examine the body. The victim was dressed in what looked to be priest's garb, robe, cap, and all, complete with a cross necklace. "Oh shit, look..." Julian knelt, holding the cross in hand and drawing emphasis to its center.

"Can't be..." Dart fumbled for words, eyes bulging at the sight of it. Lord Death's signature skull emblem was smelted dead-center on the necklace clear-as-day, the necklace belonging to the person they shot. "...This guy's DWMA!"

Julian blinked, then walked off. "Well, nice knowin' ya. I'll visit in prison when I can." He said casually, leaving the scene of the crime as if he was completely guiltless.

"H-Hey now!" Dart pointed an accusing finger his way. "You _told me _to shoot him!"

"Yeah, but," he stopped, meeting Dart's eyes equally accusingly. "y-you shot him."

"You're an accomplice! The murder weapon, even!" Dart advanced on Julian, pointing to the smoking corpse beside them.

"Pfft. Like that's gonna be enough to convict me." He said confidently, snorting.

"What're you talkin' about?!"

Julian's head whipped Dart's way, flipping his hair and flashing his most charming gaze. "I'm too pretty for jail, man."

The meister fumed silently for a moment. "And I'm not?!" Insulted, Dart scanned his own physique up and down, looking back at Julian furiously.

"Alright, maybe I was a little harsh. You're okay, not great. You'd really have to doll yourself up if you wanted to get a light sentence." Julian said, almost analytically.

"How much is okay?!" Dart demanded to know.

"About five out of ten on a beauty scale."

"Y'all and I both know it's more than that."

"Okay, maybe a consistent _six _out of ten." Julian shook his flat palm, narrowing his eyes at his lanky companion. "Seven on good days."

"How many days are good days in the week?"

"About four."

"Four out of seven!" Dart cheered, taking it like a victory. "That means I'm a seven out of ten over fifty percent of the time!"

"How would you rate me?" Julian asked curiously, leaning against the dirt wall.

Dart tilted his head, looking at his weapon partner with a critical eye. "I'd say nothin' short of an eight outta ten."

"Excuse me, if you wouldn't mind." A third voice joined in, coming from the supposed corpse. "I would sincerely appreciate your help, this is a bit of a predicament. I'm assuming you're the 'others' Lord Death sent?" He was surprisingly affable for someone who was just shot at point-blank, to Dart and Julian's shock.

"Golly, sir, we thought you were—" Dart began, swiftly cut off by a hand swinging in front of his lips.

"—P-Pretty banged up there. Not that I'm implyin' we were shooting to kill, not at all." Julian laughed insincerely, looking off to the side with a smile that looked a bit painful to hold. The older teenager at their feet blinked hazily, before his eyebrows raised with clarity and he nodded.

"Oh, so that's what it was." He came to a staggering stand, supported under each shoulder by Dart and Julian. "So from what I understand..." The priest took two glances at the both of them. "_You intentionally tried to murder me without even attempting to verify my identity?_" The priest halted, letting go of his almost-killers and meeting them with a look of utter contempt. Dart and Julian's figures turned to statues, petrified to the spot with frozen expressions of fear. Their eyes wandered to the guillotine blades below his elbows, so shiny and pristine that their terror-stricken faces were visible in its silver sheen.

"W-We... Hey now, let's..." The meister backed away with his hands up in a submissive gesture, trying his best to diffuse the situation under pressure.

"Look man, we're just tryin' not to get killed down here, y-you woulda done the same...!" Julian's tone harshened with a snarling mouth to match, but his footsteps carried him backward, not forward.

"_That's..._" The priest's cold blue eyes didn't so much as squint, fixated on the two without pity. He paused, lips stretching outward to show his bared teeth, roughly grinding together in what Dart could only assume was rage in its purest, most homicidal form. "_...Such a coincidence!_" In a sudden shift from his chilling whisper, he burst out laughing, keeling over and clutching his gut to a punchline that Dart and Julian had difficulty understanding.

Too scared to move closer, yet too curious to run, Dart remained still, curiously regarding the senior before them with his feet rooted to the ground. "H-Heh. I get it." He smiled and nodded, before shooting Julian an aside glance and mouthing '_I don't get it._'. Julian, on the other hand, was preparing to make a break for it, stretching his legs and gesturing for Dart to do the same.

"Wait, I don't think you understand..." He staggered up against the wall, belting out a few more hearty laughs before he could muster another sentence. After many a failed straight faces, the priest wiped a tear from his eye and brought his volume down to an acceptable level. "Truth be told, I had no idea you were allies either! Before you shot me, I had every intention of decapitating you both! I mean _wow,_ who could have possibly guessed?" An exasperated breath came with the last of his chuckling, _not _easing Dart and Julian's horror in the slightest.

He extended a hand to Dart, oblivious to the blank stare he was receiving. "My name is Justin Law. I've got suspicions we'll be good friends." The meister's movements slowed, unsure of how to act, before taking Law's hand in-hand, shaking it with somewhat less reluctance.

"Dart D. Cay, at your service." He reciprocated Justin's smile, before dropping it to elbow Julian and have him introduce himself.

Julian grimaced at Dart, reluctantly turning to seize the amiable palm placed patiently in front of him. "Julian Leone, but to you, it's just Julian." He said rather presumptuously, but fortunately for him, Law didn't seem to care.

"Right then, Dart, Julian, allow me to lead the way." A familiar light emitted from the edge of his semi-transformed arm, bringing a faint light to the corridor, walking towards the direction of the cave-in.

Julian tapped him on the back, shaking his head. "Don't bother. That's the place we came in, and besides, it's blocked off anyways."

"Oh?" Law put a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "This is a problem." He was only slightly perturbed at the prospect of being trapped in a dirt tomb. "Well, only way to solve this." He raised his guillotined left arm, fully intent on leveling the dirt passage with all of them still inside.

"WAIT, WAIT—" Julian and Dart's protests couldn't stop Law, ducking to avoid the swift swipe of his blade. A metallic whistling whipped through the air, fading to silence after many drawn-out seconds. Then, everything came collapsing down. Feeling a minor quake was one thing. Being at the epicenter was an entirely different experience, dirt flooding from all directions, only being able to trust utter silence when one assumed it was over. Dart's hand shot upward to determine how deep he was buried; cold air hit the very tip of his middle finger. _Only a couple of feet deep, good. _Stuffing his cheeks with stored oxygen, he clawed at the dirt fiercely, coming to a stop only when his arms were batting at thin air. The large open room, now unobscured by convoluted corridors, was surrounded by metallic wall, resembling a beat-up research center judging by numbers and diagrams now chipping away from deterioration, giving the impression that it had been converted to a glorified corn maze crafted from dirt. The previously-blocked exit hole had filed out now, but it was too risky to be considered a go-to exit at the moment.

"Julian? Julian!" His vision shot to the ground beneath, praying to God that fate hadn't made him the lucky one. When he finally saw the weapon's pale hand gone limp above the dirt, Dart dug like mad, only clearing the first layer before yanking him out by the arm in one go. He was unconscious, eyelids shut and body unmoving. Dart looked left and right hesitantly, having never performed CPR in his life before, let alone under such unusual circumstances. He sucked in a breath, looming over Julian. "One-two-THREE, one-two-THREE, one-two-THREE..." Acting in a rhythm, Dart's palms slammed on the weapon's chest repeatedly, making him sputter out more dirt each time. After thirty or so presses, Dart paused, hoping Julian would forgive him for a cracked rib or two. Or three. ...Or four.

"Alright Julian, wake up now..." Attempting to wake him brought no results. Dart tugged at his collar nervously. There was still one step left to CPR. "We're cool? We're cool." His eyes shut softly, opening his mouth as shadow dawned over Julian's face.

Suddenly conscious, Julian sat up, missing Dart's chin by an inch. "Yo, I'm up." He came to a stand while his meister shuffled away in a flush. "Aw, shit, that dirt musta cracked like, four of my ribs."

"Heh. Yeah. ...Dirt." Stifling a guilty cough, he looked the other way in search of a distraction. "Oh, hey, where's Justin?"

"I-I'm over here...! One of you, please help!" Speak of the devil, Law's voice erupted from a hole below, just out of their line of sight.

Immediately, Dart's mind raced between worst-case scenario to worst-case scenario, hurrying over to his location post-haste. "Oh my God, J-Justin, are y'alright?" With a hand cupped over his mouth, he brought himself to look down into the hole. A sigh of relief escaped the meister as he saw Law intact, limbs, head, and all. Still, at the very least, he looked distraught, crawling around and straining his eyes as if looking for something.

"I l-lost my earphones." He sputtered out. "I _knew _I shouldn't have used Silver Gun in such close quarters. Damn it all to Hell, damn it all to Hell!" Law had appeared to them after getting shot in a serene state, but _this _was enough to drive him to a breakdown? Aware of Dart's stare, his head whipped upward, meeting the meister's eyes apologetically. "You can go on ahead. I'll catch up with you both, I promise. Just as _soon _as I find these wretched things..." His eye twitched, and that was Dart's cue to give him space. If something as minor as a pair of headphones kept him anchored to sanity, then Dart had no space to judge.

"Is he dead over there?" Julian tried to sneak a peek several times, blocked by Dart's body whenever he attempted it.

"...Sprained an ankle. We'll meet with him later, let's go!" He grabbed Julian by the elbow, power-walking to a door at the end of the room.

"Alright, alright, easy with the grip..." Julian muttered, still left with a burning curiosity of Law's fate.

Within a blink from exiting the dirt-filled room and entering the new one, the atmosphere changed dramatically. The repugnant scent of death and decay shriveled up Julian's nostrils on the spot, before his other senses could even process his surroundings. A solitary scream escaped Julian's quivering lips, echoing and fading with no response. Human corpses were strewn about the well-lit lab like gift-wrapped presents before the weapon and meister, their souls long confiscated, or, better yet, _devoured. _After a prolonged pause, the two took the first agonizing steps inside.

"Keep an eye out for an exit." Dart's words were sparse, his face notably paler than usual. Julian nodded in understanding, examining the right side of the room while Dart took to the left. A long table stretched almost from wall-to-wall, displaying the remains of what Julian presumed to be research, with glass shards and bubbly substances cast about haphazardly. What caught his eye the most though, was the presence of leaking blood, leading him to a body of a researcher slumped over with his head resting on the table, probably having died most recently. The researcher, like all the others dead in the room, wore a scruffy labcoat, as well as a crude mask in the shape of a spider's face.

"Hey, what's..." In his dead clutches, the scientist's arms were locked around an electronic tablet of some sort, in rather clean shape unlike the rest of his bloodied self. Green text lit the otherwise black screen, just out of Julian's sight. "Don't haunt me for this." Making great pains not to disturb the body, he meticulously slipped the device from the corpse into his hands. He swiped upward until he could swipe no more, reaching what he presumed to be the first entry on the tablet.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 01:<strong>

The DWMA came and went in a storm. When Mosquito engaged Baba Yaga castle's mech (still have no idea why we installed that), I got knocked out cold in the thrashing. When I woke up, somehow, the labs and everyone inside, myself included, got lodged underground while the mechas were duking it out. There's six of us total, but thankfully, after careful calculation, there's enough rations to last us about two and a half years. Tensions aren't high, but we should find a way to get out of here soon...

* * *

><p><strong>Log 02:<strong>

By God, what a miracle! _Nobody_ here could have anticipated a savior so soon! Really, take a guess. Get ready. Alright, got one? It's **[REDACTED]**! Shocking, I know. All this time, I assumed he was a lazy jackass, but I guess he's got a heart of gold after all. He scaled the dirt walls to get down here, and he's offered to take us up, one-by-one. Not immediately, of course, but soon. He also mentioned about doing him "a favor" in exchange for saving our lives, but it can't be too grueling, can it?

* * *

><p><strong>Log 03:<strong>

**[REDACTED]** finally caved tonight. I...I've never seen him cry before. He told us about everything. About how much he missed Arachne, how he wandered around for months, just hoping to find purpose in _something._ And then, he asked of us the impossible: to revive the heretic witch from the dead. Believe us, if we could somehow bring Arachne back, we'd have done it in a heartbeat. But here's the thing: Asura ate her _soul_, which pretty much rules out any possibility of bringing Arachne back as herself. But, **[REDACTED]**, in his sobbing state, just threw her corpse to us and begged us to do something. Given the circumstances, we couldn't exactly say no.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 04:<strong>

All of us are just staring at Arachne's corpse, wondering what to do. It was a spur of the moment decision, and now we can't take it back. Every time **[REDACTED] **checks up on us, he asks us how we're doing, and we tell him it's coming along well every time, despite having made no progress. We're _engineers_; we don't know the first thing about biology.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 05:<strong>

**[REDACTED]**'s getting pissed, and fast. He hasn't threatened us directly, but every so often, we can hear him...'venting' in his room, smashing probably whatever he can find.. Every time he walks in, he's just more drunk and disgruntled. We've managed to find a couple papers from the biology team in the drawers, but that's the most assistance it seems like we'll get.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 06:<strong>

We did it. Through constant trial-and-error, we made something to reanimate Arachne. We poured it on the body in front of **[REDACTED]**, and...it worked. She came to a slow stand, looked around, and followed **[REDACTED] **out of the room. **[REDACTED] **looked pleased enough, but we knew the thing that we brought back wasn't our leader. Her eyes lacked energy with a dull smile to match, saying absolutely nothing as she sauntered away with him. It's been a month since he came here, and he's taken nobody back. Mosquito wouldn't have allowed this.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 07:<strong>

Burn. Burn in Hell, **[REDACTED]**. It was only about seven in the morning when he barged in, covered in blood, shouting and cursing at the top of his lungs. Nobody had to guess what happened the night before with Arachne and **[REDACTED]**. You made us defile her by bringing her back as a soulless husk, and you weren't prepared for the consequences. He asked which one of us 'botched the job', before butchering one of us right on the spot, and then left to go get drunk on the surface while we rotted. We stood there for a long time, looking at the mess he turned our comrade to. I hate him. Hate. Him.

* * *

><p><strong>Log 08:<strong>

The plan is underway. Using some glass shards and scalpels, we're gonna gang up on **[REDACTED] **the moment he shows his face down here again, five-on-one. Believe me, he's approaching; the dirt above is rattling with vibrations. And what **[REDACTED] **doesn't know? We converted the passage into a maze overnight, and we threw it together so quickly it could collapse any second! For Arachne's honor, **[REDACTED]**, we _will _kill you.

* * *

><p>The screen came to a halt when Julian tried to scroll down for more. He was reluctant to set the device down, looking for any more text he might've missed, but he had read all the words the fallen researcher had to offer to him. <em>Dammit sympathy, why do you have to make me feel things? <em>Julian placed the tablet back into their arms and let the corpse lie down, as if to tell them at least _somebody _knew of their fate. "Hey, Dart. Let's keep looking. My trigger-finger's itching." Though his tone didn't show it, Julian was absolutely furious, his expression overcome with a murderous calm.

"Huh?" Dart's head peeked over from the opposite table. "I didn't hear what you said, Julian, but boy, are these guys _loaded._" He casually waved a dollar bill retrieved from a corpse, to Julian's shock and horror.

"Dart, what the Hell! Are you really lootin' corpses?!" He gawked, while Dart looked mildly taken aback like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. Julian hopped across the table, getting up close and personal with the meister.

"Well, yeah." He said offhandedly. "But they're _evil_ corpses right?"

Julian slowly dragged a palm across his face, exhausted. "Dart, I know back-alley thugs in _prison _who wouldn't sink that low."

"This guy's got five dollars."

"Give me that!" Julian snatched the bill and tore it up in front of Dart, to his dismay. The sound echoed, then followed up by a low rumble that neither of them recognized.

"_...Can it, I'm waking up already..._" Somebody growled, barely in earshot of the two. Their flapping jaws shut tight, glancing to a drafty corner of the room where a curtain hung, obscuring a passage neither of them had noticed when they walked in. Whomever that voice belonged to, Leone knew in his soul of souls, it was the perpetrator of the murders.

Without so much as a peep, Julian assumed his whip form, right into Dart's clutches. Whatever vicious foe awaited them beyond, Dart took the first step, creeping towards the curtain with his back to the wall. _Kill him, Dart. Make his guts splatter the walls. _Julian's thoughts raced with a desire to kill, and yet cowardice in not wanting to be heard in speaking aloud. The whip was bare, keeping the plasmatic rope turned off for the purpose of stealth.

Once Dart reached the curtain, he tossed it aside, wasting no time with half-peeks and stealth entrances. ...Had it actually been needed, anyways. All the curtain had to hide was a bedroom, and the owner of the menacing voice was dozing off in a queen-size bed, his gnarled hands clutching at the covers.

"Quiet now. Don't wanna spook him..." He stalked to the side of the bed, flicking the whip's steam to life. The man's sleep was hardly perturbed, rolling over to shield his face from the light. Blue sparks danced in Dart's dull pupils, hovering over his prey with a look that almost suggested boredom, had it not been for his fingers excitedly reaffirming themselves over Julian's hilt.

"_One._" He whispered. He took a step back, extending his arm backwards, whip in hand.

"_Two._" The man's nose wrinkled, just about to rouse from sleep.

"THREE!" Dart's arm snapped forward, wrapping the whip around the man's neck in one resound _crack! _The man's face flashed from ignorant bliss to bloody murder, choking out unintelligible threats under suffocation while his brown hairs stood on end. He immediately came in swinging, lunging at Dart with a wild punch that looked like it could shatter concrete. The meister sidestepped, letting the drunkard punch a hole in the wall as opposed to his head.

"Come on, y'damn monster." Rather aloof, Dart overlooked the man, who was convulsing with rage at missing his mark.

"Monster...?" Chains on the man's body roared awake, matching his own disgruntled state quite well. He turned around to face Dart, wearing a smirk that didn't mesh with his otherwise furious body language. "Is that what _YOU'RE _calling _ME_, you DWMA chickenshit?!" He took a step forward, while Dart's legs were forced to move back. "When it's YOU bastards who killed _ARACHNE?!_"

"This is the guy, Dart! He's the one who killed those scientists back there!" Julian yelled, getting the meister's mind back on track.

"I'll fuckin' eviscerate ya...chop you up into little fuckin' pieces and munch on your soul for leftovers...!" He rambled on, drawing closer.

"Watch your _language!_" Dart stomped and shifted his momentum into a blistering kick, only to find it met by a stronger, and sharper kick on his opponent's end. "A-AH!" No Kishin egg before had ever displayed such a combination of raw power and speed, having shredded his right leg badly mere seconds into battle.

"Take your time in dying, damn brat!" He withdrew his leg, then shot it back into Dart's stomach like a high-pressure piston, sending the meister flying back into the lab. His back crashed against the hardwood table, rendering him barely conscious while the walking saw drew closer and closer... The constant, incessant ringing of the rotating chains became deafening, overriding Julian's pleading cries, the man's shouted threats, and eventually, Dart's own thoughts. There was no time to consider things; Dart had to _move. _The man assumed a crouching position, using the chains beneath his feet as wheels to boost him forward, barrelling to Dart's position.

Dart grunted, rolling on his side before he could be crushed where he sat. "Too slow on the uptake!" A gloved palm seized his face, slamming the back of his head into the table's side. Hot blood spilled down his neck, threatening a loss of consciousness with one, two more hits...

"H-Hey, Dart, watch yourself, dammit!" Julian's voice was strained with panic, probably the only thing keeping Dart from going out cold. The man pinned Dart's arms down, raising his razor foot to the meister's chest.

"_I'm movin', I'm movin'!_" His right hand fiddled with the wand, firing a shot point-blank at the autonomous weapon's face. He recoiled, giving Dart all the opportunity to kick him away and make a run for it, heading out the nearest exit, to the open dirt room.

"RAAAGH!" A guttural scream ruptured from behind, shortly followed by the violent tearing sounds of a chainsaw going to work. The dirt shifted like sand, becoming rapidly unstable from the chains' vibration. Unlike Dart, the chainsaw had no trouble moving, rolling towards him while the meister fumbled around. With every step upward, the dirt surfed back up to his knees with a vengeance, requiring constant movement to stay above ground.

"M-Mister Law, we could use a little help here!" Dart cried off to the side, hoping he hadn't been swamped up in the tides.

"Just a minute Dart, I'm untangling them..." In the time it took for Dart and Julian to enter the laboratory, look around, get in a fight, then run back to the dirt room, Justin hadn't moved from his position in the small hole, tongue poking out as he meticulously kneaded his fingers through the small wire.

"Oh yeah, take your time man!" A thoroughly fed-up Julian said with a sarcasm Law didn't seem to pick up on.

"_LOOK AT ME!_" A voice blared in front of Dart, serving as an eternal reminder to always stay on-guard during a fight. Dart ducked an incoming kick, stepping back while the chainsaw pressed further. He lashed with the whip repeatedly while keeping his distance, keeping the chainsaw at bay like a liontamer. Tufts of black smoke and audible singeing from his skin seemed to imply it was doing something, but the chainsaw kept moving forward, showing no signs of weakness as he attempted to hack something off of Dart's body every few seconds. The chainsaw seized the electric rope in his gloves, yanking the meister forward in one fell swoop. There, a vicious headbutt greeted Dart, knocking him back to the ground and leaving him groaning with a throbbing sensation.

_This guy's a real freak...! He's completely impervious to pain! If it ain't a killing blow, he'll just walk it off! _Dart's breathing became hoarse; Julian's weapon forms were designed around landing weak hits to gradually break the enemy down, effectively _useless _against the juggernaut that stood frothing in front of them.

"I can't see a damn thing outta this eye! _Look what you did!_" Only now did Dart notice that the saw's left eye socket was pitch-black, likely blown out earlier by Julian's wand form in their last-ditch effort to escape the saw's hold. Even then, it seemed to piss him off more than anything, despite the loss of such a vital organ.

"D-Dart! How come you've gone quiet all of a sudden?! Tell me you ain't just gonna wing it?!" Julian inquired, hoping to God that his meister hadn't abandoned hope altogether.

"I got somethin'." Backed up against the wall D. Cay gulped, staring down his foe. "There's a chance we can pull out of this, or I'm losin' a limb. About fifty-fifty."

"_See ya in Hell!_" The saw's revved-up leg arched high in the air, coming down like an ax on the chopping block. Dart blinked, and his mind was no more. His consciousness dissipated to instinct, turning off his mental voice to react to the stimuli in front of him.

"Soul Force!" A golden light shined from Dart's heel, reducing the chainsaw's momentum to an absolute zero as their legs clashed again.

"The Hell is..." In a brief display of lucidity, the chainsaw actually began to question what was happening around him, but not for long. "I'm still gonna kill you—!" A second shining kick cut him off, faster than his drunken state could perceive. He staggered off-balance, nearly falling flat onto the dirt before raising his arms to defend against another kick from Dart.

"Yeah! Don't even think about lettin' him get a hit in!" Julian watched in awe as the tables had found themselves suddenly turned; Dart was maintaining an aura of calm about him, taking things seriously, but hardly worried. Kick after kick, the pressurized bursts of golden soul continually dazed the man, locking him into a storm that he couldn't hope to escape.

"Ain't no jail cell meant for animals like you!" Dart fell forward on his palms, using his arms as leverage to whirl himself around, bucking his left leg in the air while the spinning force still carried him. _If this connects, it'll snap his neck! _The meister sucked in a breath in preparation for the killing blow.

The chainsaw blinked, regaining sense in between the last kick and Dart's windup. "N-No!" By instinct, he jumped back, avoiding his would-be death by the skin of his teeth. The hit grazed him by the stomach, launching him back a fair distance.

"Damn it, how did I goof that?!" At the last moment, victory was ripped away from the meister's clutches, while their target stood miraculously alive, barely scratched by what amounted to a series of shoves.

"Dart," Julian began unsteadily. "I've learned from spending a long time with Cassiel that, sometimes, y'gotta throw away your pride."

The chainsaw was already staggering back up; there wasn't time to tiptoe around things. "Less metaphorical, Julian."

"We gotta run."

"_Oh._" Dart limbered up, eyes fixating on the exit: the abyss, where they had fallen down here in the first place. Not the most optimal escape route, but it was all they had.

"_LIKE HELL!_" A clanging mess of engine fuel and metal revved back up again, drowning the underground in noise once more. It was louder than ever, to the point where it hurt without one's ears plugged. There was a noticeable harsh grinding that wasn't apparent before, like the chains were struggling to make ends meet. "Nnnrk..." The man grunted, lacking his usual edge of murderous rage. "GAAAHH!" All at once, blood spurted out in an x-shaped pattern across his body.

As he realized what was happening, Julian snorted. "Look at this dumbass! We can just go home at this point, Dart. He's offin' himself."

Dart squinted, trying to get a better look at their writhing opponent. He opened his mouth, before he saw it too. "Well, would ya look at that!" Upon closer examination, it looked as if one of the soul-infused kicks from earlier had knocked his chains askew, the sharp bits now facing the saw's own body and actively tearing him to shreds. After a decent time spent observing, Dart made a ho-hum noise and nodded affirmatively. "Yep. He's pretty dead." He spun on his heel and walked off, looking for Law while he waited for the chains to do the work for him.

"_Like...Hell...!_" Still, the chainsaw refused to _stay dead_. He took a step forward, even as he had turned himself into a walking cutting board. "...If I'm going down, I'm taking this _whole place with me!_" With surprising speed, the saw rotated 'round and 'round, creating an unapproachable whirlwind around his body that only grew larger with each rotation. Forceful gales were bringing down chunks of the ceiling around them.

"Mister Law!" Dart cried hopelessly. The room was a veritable dirtstorm, all senses crippled in the deafening, blinding tempest. He trudged his way through, keeping an arm up to shield his eyes in search of Justin.

Julian's voice rang constant in Dart's ears, shouting a single command. "We gotta leave while the hole's still open! C'mon!" The meister's head shot around frantically, trying to focus on finding Justin, avoiding the chainsaw, and listening to Julian all at once.

"Shut up! H-He can't be too far!" Dart was dawdling, still stalling in running off. Each hole looked the same, and so spaced out across the room that it would take ages to find Law, and with the ceiling already beginning to fold inward...

"_Dart, watch out!_" The last thing the meister recalled before unfathomable pain hit was Julian screaming for him to move. Sputtered gasps escaped from Dart, feeling completely numb save for his left leg, which may as well have been stabbed, shot, and set on fire simultaneously, speaking purely in terms of pain. He looked over his shoulder to see a rock the size of a yoga ball having eclipsed a chunk of his left leg.

"Welp, guess this is payback, huh Seth...?" Said Dart dryly, letting the agony run its course while maintaining some semblance of pride. In a moment's notice, Julian had already reverted to his human form, doing the best he could to dry and lug Dart out from his spot.

He'd never seen Julian so concerned for someone else's well-being before. "You can still walk, right?! Dart, you ass, y'need to start moving!" He tried—and failed—to haul the meister by the shoulders, but the small boulder's weight proved too heavy for the scrawny blond. "Shit...! Why the Hell aren't you trying to get out?! Hey, don't tell me your leg's a-actually..." He was dumbfounded into staring, giving the meister all the opportunity needed to push Julian away with a soul-charged punch.

The weapon yelped, clutching his bleeding nose in outrage over the unprovoked attack. Julian was ready to tear him a new one, until he saw his expression, clear as day even in the storm. Dart was donning a smile, knowingly glancing at Julian despite his condition.

"Get outta here, Julian." He was calm. _Too damn calm. _Behind himself, Julian saw what he meant; behind him, the vastness of the initial hole laid, and now, perhaps due to the dire circumstances, it looked to be only a short climb back up to solid ground. But, leaving the underground would amount to leaving Dart to die a gruesome death. _And that Law guy too, I guess. _

Julian hesitated, before snarling "You jerk! H-How could I go back to Cassiel and tell her that?! Tell her that her coward weapon left someone else to _die?!_" They exchanged a long stare, and to Julian's relief, he saw Dart waver, with a definite guilt and reconsidering in his expression. "That's right, it's like something you'd say, Dart..." Julian's lips curved into a desperate smile, reaching out to his meister both physically and emotionally. "'Come on now, we can make it through this, together!' It sounds like you, don't it? Fuckin' humor me here, Dart, say it!" He crawled closer to Dart, hand outstretched.

"W-We can make it through this, together..." Dart repeated weakly, mirroring Julian with a clasping hand waiting to be grabbed.

"I need more energy than that, man! C'mon!" At last, the two seized hands, making a joint effort to get Dart out. The chainsaw's pull was sucking them inward to a cyclone of sharp metal, but the two of them would be damned if they weren't willing to fight against it. "Don't let go, Dart! Don't let go!" He shouted, feeling his fingers loosen. It was just as much a reminder to himself as it was to Dart. The pull was strengthening, and soon, the two were hanging by a thread, threatening to split apart at any moment.

"I'm gonna...!" Dart gasped, and Julian could see his reflection in the meister's glassy, despairing eyes. Julian's strength gave out, letting go, in spite of all his motivational preaching. A leaf caught in a tornado's path, Dart flew almost immediately out of sight. Ducking for cover, Julian laid on his side, traumatized. He swore he saw the look on Dart's face; his skin stricken pale with terror while his jaw hung agape, any shred of optimism swallowed in the face of swift death.

_How deep could that hole be, anyway? _He contemplated his remaining option. There was no going home after this.

Rapid footsteps in the dirt. Was it just an apparition, Julian wondered? Dart's leg was out of commission, it couldn't be possible. "Law-abiding..." A voice belonging to neither the chainsaw nor Dart called out, grabbing Julian's attention. A blade shimmered bright near the chainsaw's epicenter, contrasting highly against the dulled chains. "_Silver Gun!_' The blade's shine gave way to a narrow flash of light, shooting out in a quick, concentrated ray at the cyclone.

And just like that, the room seemed to freeze. The chainsaw's gyration ceased. Dust particles fell to the ground quietly. The dirt floor became safe to stand on. Dart was alive; albeit slumped against the wall and bleeding, but still puffing out breaths. "Dart, Julian! Thank you for holding out, but from here, consider the target mine!" Justin announced himself, his earphones unknotted and snug in his ears.

Julian stared in stunned silence. The whole thing reeked of deus-ex-machina but god-_damn _if he wasn't thrilled about it. "A-About time!" With the chainsaw's attention turned to someone else for a change, Julian shambled across the room to Dart, checking the severity of his wounds.

"Hurk..." The buffoon collapsed, still reeling from the surprise attack. Law gazed on coldly, patiently awaiting a counterattack. Clutching his wound, the saw leapt up, looking surprised for whatever reason. "Y-You!" He pointed at Law. A smile creased his grubby face, despite Justin not sharing the sentiment. "It's been awhile. Was it fate that brought us here, eternal rival?"

Justin cocked an eyebrow. "Come again?"

The saw flinched at his quizzical response. "Wha—? No, you're definitely the guy. C'mon, it was only a couple months back! Our battle between DWMA and Arachnophobia! A one-on-one duel in this very jungle!"

"Hm..." The guillotine rested his chin on his palm, putting obvious effort in trying to remember the foe in front of him. At last, he shook his head. "No. Doesn't ring any bells, I'm afraid."

"What?!" The chainsaw barked, growing agitated. "Loew village! Couldn't have been more than a year ago! There was a golem attack, and Arachne was there...!"

Law nodded. "Ah yes, I remember it vividly. I was assisting Albarn and her black-blooded cohort on a dangerous mission." The chainsaw grinned, finally glad to get some recognition from him. "...Where were you there, exactly? The getaway driver?"

The saw laid a large, gloved hand on his face and let out a dragging groan. "_Giriko! _Arachnophobia's most feared engineer? Sound familiar at all?!" He revved up, raising his leg and proudly displaying his chained features. Any reaction above a dull flickering of the eyes was lost on Justin, to Giriko's increasing rage.

"Is this supposed to be a comedy routine?" Justin asked flatly, which proved to be the final straw. Giriko growled, throwing himself into close range and kicking blindly. His feet met cold steel, putting Justin on the defensive by forcing his guillotines up. It was wild fury versus indifferent calm, matched in a clanging stalemate, certain to turn the tides in one side's favor over time.

"Saw leg, second gear!" After another failed attempt at lacerating Law, Giriko whizzed past him on his blades with a notable increase in speed, leaving dust clouds in his wake before looping back around to come at Justin again. The priest put up his blades dutifully, still keeping up an unfazed demeanor for Dart and Julian. They clashed again, but it lacked the equality in the struggle before; the infallible Law was _losing_, forced to lean back against Giriko's crippling offense. "This'll knock some sense into ya!" He followed through with his kick, knocking Justin to the ceiling in one fell swoop.

"Mister Law!" Dart cried, shoving himself upward. His wounded body protested, nagging at him with an undeniable pain, before helplessly sitting down again.

"Have some faith, he's got this...right?" Julian gulped, far less reluctant about being on the sidelines of the fight than his meister.

Justin arose slowly, from his stomach to his knees, until he could work up the strength to stand once more. The last blow had taken the wind out of him, and not just by chance. However reckless, Giriko in his current state hit like a truck and moved like one too. Simple dodging and blocking wouldn't suffice anymore. "Silver Gun!" Justin aimed his bladed forearm at the ceiling directly above and fired, bringing down some collapsed earth to serve as an artificial wall.

"What a joke! Is this supposed to be keeping me from gettin' to you?!" His voice was muffled, but Giriko's fuelled foot stamping into the barrier was thundering.

Justin, now in a bit of a sweat, sighed. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd use this in combat. But I'm glad I finally get to..."

"Tell Lord Death I said hello once you hit River Styx!" The wall gave way like wet paper against a cannonball, hardly a match against Giriko's second gear. Bloodlust in his eyes, he couldn't wait to tear that pretty blond hair off of Justin's scalp, watch the life fade from his pupils... Neither of which were present behind the wall, replaced by a towering wooden structure that Giriko was flying right into. _Wait. _His head shot upward, and swiftly feared for his life at the sight of a blade sliding down the structure, straight for his torso.

"_Shit!_" He spread out his chains to block, barely stopping the guillotine's blade from splitting him silly right then and there. _And here I thought he never used his full transformation because it was weak..._ Giriko spat, feeling his chains ache under the pressure. _I...I can't even kick up to gear three at this point! Damn priest, let me move!_ _If my chains get cut, I'm defenseless!_

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven..." Justin mumbled in a zen state, closed off from any distraction while the fully-transformed guillotine did its work.

_Who am I kidding...! I can always use the next kid down as my vessel if this body gets too banged up. What was their name again? _Reminding himself of his easy mortality, Giriko grinned, and abandoned fear altogether.

_Shing!_ Stainless steel against flesh silenced the underground entirely. Not even a gasp came from Giriko.

"Did he get him?" Dart tried to get a look from his seat at the wall, lifting his head to catch a glimpse.

"Oh, my apologies. It appears I've missed my mark a bit." Law's words were casual, but his expression offered no such pity, staring at the desperate beast coldly. Rather than his midsection, the chopping block had clipped Giriko's right arm, likely as a result of his fidgeting. He'd bleed out, slowly but surely.

The chainsaw's eye, like that of a wounded predator hungering for a final meal, dimmed but remained open, fixating on Justin. "_You...idiot..._" He mumbled.

"Hm?" Justin was surprised to see was still conscious.

Oh yes, was he more than 'conscious'. With unexpected speed and vigor, Giriko jumped and threw out a kick straight to the priest's unguarded chest. Blood spurted outward while Justin flew back at high velocity, coming to an uneven three-point skid on the ground. "Oho, now you're in deep shit! That arm was dead weight anyways! Doesn't matter what you take—my eye, my limbs, _anything_! I'll just come back more pissed than last time!" He boasted, in spite of how fast his stump was leaking blood.

Dart decided he'd spent enough time on the sidelines. "Mister Law, I'm comin'!" Rushing headfirst, he nearly sprinted in, had it not been for Julian putting him in a hasty shoulder-lock.

"Dammit Dart, hold on a sec! You ain't in pinnacle fighting condition either, y'know!"

Engaging his partial transformation, Law put his arms up, making no effort to move. He could no longer fully follow Giriko in sight; only in brief afterimages that were quickly closing in on Justin. "_I expected more!_" He came to a sudden skid, slicing into Justin's shins like twin buzzsaws. He keeled over at Giriko's mercy, giving the saw exactly the reaction he desired.

Law panted. "My resolve is only matched in faith..." Still persisting, Justin lunged with both blades, but Giriko seemed to disappear before they could graze skin. The saw reappeared from behind, knocking the sense out of Justin with a blow to the back of the head. Reduced to a limp, he got back up with agony in his bones, Giriko circling him like a hawk all the while. There was no motivation in his steps, dragging himself from Point A to Point B, 'Point B' being the exit back to the central hole. So much for resolve.

Julian shot up and cursed. "Are you kidding me? Running, really?!" His nose twitched in vehement disgust, watching apparently Law turn tail and ditch as soon as Giriko proved too much.

With Justin's back turned, Giriko launched himself at his wounded prey. "_For Arachne!_"

The guillotine, thoroughly exhausted, straightened out his back. "I'm not running, I am merely..." Giriko came at him with a flying dropkick. _No depth perception._ Justin sidestepped, letting the saw breeze right past him, straight into the hole's entrance. "...Biding my time." A raging cry echoed from the abyss, and then faded. "You always were a persistent devil, Giriko..."

After a three-second count, there wasn't any further noise, and Justin deemed it safe to turn back to Dart and Julian. "Praise the lord, for the enemy is vanquished!" He declared jubilantly, a little off-putting in conjunction with the scars and bumps on his face. Still, the students rejoiced, locking arms in a circle with Law.

"Y'did it! ...How badly are ya hurt? Break anything? Need a washcloth?" Dart began doting over his senior, looking for anything _too _severe. The Death Scythe shrugged it off.

"Hardly enough to keep me from purging evil."

"Ha, I never d-doubted you..." Julian was quick to backpedal on his previous statement; he didn't want to add Justin to the growing list of Death Scythes who regarded him callously.

* * *

><p>Once they reached the outside hallway, Julian shielded his eyes from the light. "Ah, my eyes. My fragile, fragile eyes." Afternoon had dimmed to sunset, streaking the sorrowful castle with warmth. "Yeah, I won't forget." Julian committed the knowledge of the researchers' fate to memory, before allowing himself a yawn while overlooking the surrounding jungle.<p>

"Dart, Julian, before I take my leave, may I ask something of you?" Only now did the meister and weapon realize how loud Justin's 'inside voice' was when they weren't inside a crumbling room. They both turned to meet Justin's eager eyes, holding out his near-fossilized cell phone. "Let's trade contacts. You have my word that my texts will be as informative and as educational as possible. And, frankly put, the prospect of friendship with you two seems...amusing."

"Well, ain't you just the most charismatic fella around..." Dart already whipped out his phone, immediately cross-referencing his number with Law's.

"And you, Mister Leone?"

"Can't." Julian's eyes shifted. "Phone's dead."

Justin nodded understandingly. He kicked up, feet dangling over the railing ledge to the long fall below. "With that, I'll be taking my leave. It's been nice, you two."

"Mister Law," Dart cleared his throat, looking a little sheepish. "Justin. After everything that happened here, you're welcome to join us anytime, y'know that?"

"I appreciate the offer." Law's back was to Dart, his silhouette blackened in the sunset. "But really, I'm someone who best works...alone." Without another word, Law let go, making the long fall back to the ground with what the meister could only assume was a solitary smile, content in his solo lifestyle.

A light slap on the back jolted Dart from wandering thought. "Hey. Dream team." Julian said flatly, no further elaboration or explanation required.

Dart met the weapon with a firm handshake. "Dream team."

* * *

><p><em>The Book of Eibon. It is the amalgamation of every idea, every passing thought, and every desire I've ever experienced, all bound within the confines of this book. BREW itself only marks a footnote in its pages. Should Lord Death learn of what lies inside, I know naught of what he would do with it. Which is why, this will mark the last entry in this accursed book. And yet, my hand remains fixed, unable to bring the match to the page. Am I an old man who still clings to his playthings? It's...It's for the best. My dearest wife is only a remnant of the past now, and I've come to the realization that I will be too, in this rapidly advancing future. Goodbye, steadfast companion. <em>

The door opened. An imposing shadow stood in the doorway, quickly shutting the metal door behind them. "Who...are you?" The sorcerer put out the match, still sitting down while he stared at the intruder.

"The book. Give me the book." It wasn't quite a threat, but the tone behind the voice was demanding. Fearing for his life, Eibon seized the book in his thin, metallic fingers and offered it to the person in front of him. He saw their hand reach out to grab it.

"W-Wait!" For the first time in over many decades, Eibon made a decision based on his conscience. He snatched the book back, clutching it tight in his arms. "What do you intend to do with this...?" The figure had yet to state their name or purpose, towering over Eibon quietly.

"Well?" Their eyes flickered. "Hurry up."

Eibon nearly leapt out of the chair, backing away with the book in a death grip. "No...No...No, your intentions, they aren't pure! Begone at once!" The figure wasn't deterred, ignoring Eibon entirely and fixating on the book.

"Hey. Don't scream." Within a blink, a fist had already clocked against the side of Eibon's head. The sorcerer slumped to the floor, dropping his prized book at last. Satisfied, the thief grabbed the book delicately, slipping it into their jacket. They stepped out into the light of the DWMA's underground hall, leaning against the wall.

"It's done." Brandt pressed a finger against her left earlobe. "What next?"

"_Congratulations._ _Go home for now, but be prepared to wake early tomorrow._" An icy voice only audible to Victoria spoke, far, far away from the DWMA. Brandt withdrew from the scene without a trace, and as far as Death City knew, she was peacefully asleep, thinking of how to better herself the next day.

If only.

**AN: Aaand we're back. With the re-introduction of Justin Law, I'm curious as to how you thought I handled him. With three other characters who use a "formal" style of speech (Alice, Cassiel, Cole) I hope I was able to differentiate his personality somewhat. With the brief cameo that the original three meisters got, I hope I was able to capture their personalities in the brief amount of time they were onscreen. As for Eibon's fate, I'll leave that ambiguous.**

**I also want to talk about Dart wielding Julian's wand form. A relatively minor detail, but I changed the method-of-fire from machine gun to shotgun from Cassiel to Dart to reflect their different souls. I guess it spawned in my mind when I thought, ****_what would happen if Black Star or Maka wielded Liz and Patty? _****Is it fanwank? Yes, but it's ****_fun _****fanwank.**

**And from now on, I'll be weaving in elements present in the SE manga. Just store that little tidbit away in your subconscious. :)**


	21. Adventure bound! His name is Noah?

"Here." Victoria threw the hardcover book across the room at the witch, making careful note of Medusa's intrigue as she flipped open the pages. A lavish fireplace crackled off to the back while Medusa sat in a cushy chair, in stark contrast to the last, dinky hideout. "Can I get a straight answer out of you if I ask just what the hell you plan on doing with that book?"

"Ha," Medusa laughed without smiling, her clashing pupils still absorbing the pages' contents. "I won't stop you from sneaking a glance, if you have a death wish." Victoria rose to the witch's provocation, before bitterly recalling her chained circumstances. Her immediate collapse back into her seat thereafter was deflating, to say the least. "Besides, this book will only be in my possession for a few more minutes. I'm anticipating a guest." In a quick movement, she cleanly tore a single page from the decrepit book, binding it like a scroll using a miniscule vector.

"Guest?" Brandt pushed out of her chair and pressed her face against the window glass in search of any heinous characters in the hard rain. Anyone who had reason to associate with Medusa was high, high on the list of lowlifes. Disregarding Victoria herself, of course, she thought herself to be a special case.

The door opened. The cloaked figure who walked inside said nothing, composing themselves without a hint of stress despite the room's oppressing air, tensely silent between Victoria's judging caution and Medusa's palpable intrigue.

"I have what you want, and you'd best hope the same applies vice-versa. Quid pro quo." She held the book in plain sight, fingers drawing across the leather-bound surface with a sickly smile. In response, the bargainer quickly withdrew a wad of cash and held it out to Gorgon, reaching for the book with twitching hands, as if a single misplaced touch would return it to dust. Contemptuously, Medusa snatched the stack of bills, her smirk flipping down to an impatient scowl. "Time is precious. Don't make yourself comfy, or your stay might _lengthen._" Unflinching, the buyer stuffed the archaic book in their baggy robes and began to walk off without a word said.

Just before the doorway, Victoria and the hooded stranger met eyes, both guarded and distrusting in their expressions. Victoria raised her chin boldly and clenched her fists, radiating unpleasantness to ward away the stranger. The stranger averted their eyes, until stopping just beside her, glancing at the meister from the corner of their eye.

"You're DWMA, hm? Then it's certain. Our paths will cross again, though I fear it will be more sinister next time around..." The stranger unhooded themselves on their way out—a definitively female voice. In the passing glimpse Victoria caught before exiting her peripheral vision, the stranger's neck was adorned in a vibrant flower lei, only slightly obscured by the long, ebony hair flowing across her light-brown skin.

Victoria's anger melted to unease, peeking 'round the doorway to try and look at the departing figure, in vain. She slipped back into the room, slumping down reflectively against the windowpane while Medusa was overlooking the single page she had kept from the Book of Eibon. The wad of cash left by the stranger were left on a nightstand beside Medusa. There had to be at least twenty bills in the stack total. From a distance, they all looked to be fifty dollars a piece. And with Medusa so intensely focused on the page...

Victoria snuck a bill into her jacket pocket. Another, then three. She shot an ugly glare at Medusa, knowing she wouldn't see it. _Janitor shift barely pays for a ham sandwich. Consider this my paycheck for the last three weeks. _In confident stride, Brandt left, settling for a small victory until she could work her way up to the big one.

* * *

><p>Spirit Albarn sat at the head of the conference table with heavy surrounding Death Scythes and various teachers were not a happy bunch right then. And why would they be? It was seven o' clock in the morning on a Tuesday, Joe was late with coffee, and Spirit had yet to explain what was going on.<p>

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering..." Spirit kneaded his fingers, trying to think of a way to explain the situation without his ire slipping into his speech. "..._Why _our beloved Eibon, is currently hospitalized. And regarding that, I've got good news, and I've got bad news." The table had shushed up, listening more intently as it became apparent this was no ordinary faculty meeting.

"Good news first: Eibon isn't going to die." Spirit announced, to no one's great relief, aside from a subdued clapping from Lord Death. "Bad news: the Book of Eibon, a millennia-old relic with unforetold potential for destruction is now missing, we have no idea who the culprit is, and Eibon's too delirious to ask." Spirit shut his lips tight, wincing at the chorus of groans that came immediately after.

"Are you saying that we don't have a _single _security camera installed under the academy? There—there had to have been _some _precautionary measure taken that could give us a lead!" Azusa planted her palms on the table, proposing an obvious solution that would have already been in use had it existed.

"You're thinking in 'if's' and 'when's', Azusa. Why don't we bust out the lie detector for old time's sake?" Sid was halfway out of his chair, already plotting the fastest possible route to the storage closet and back.

"Sid, every time a meeting like this gets called, you suggest it, and every time, it doesn't happen." Nygus laid a hand on her meister's shoulder, grounding him back to reality with a grumble or two.

"Agreed," Justin nodded, and if one squinted, they could almost see the 'I'm above this nonsense'-halo forming above his head. "Perhaps we could stage a confessional? Guilt can crack someone much more effectively than a machine, you know." He concluded, in serene montone, watching for lip movement while his earphones blared.

Spirit's fingers dug into his temples, blowing a short fuse at the peanut gallery that comprised of his coworkers. "No, no, no. Somebody throw out a viable solution, dammit! Some course of action that we can take that isn't something we should have done, won't do, or whatever Justin suggests." Again, the conference table erupted, chattering amongst themselves with little in the way for productivity. "Who even called this meeting?!" He finally demanded, hitting his rage-breaking point.

Everyone went quiet, glancing at Spirit quizzically. Evidently, his question had echoed back into the minds of the recipients, looking amongst themselves for a face of clarity, proving to be a fruitless search.

"Spirit," Marie blinked. "You got the letter too?" Whatever was happening had crossed the line from weird to concerning, even to the seasoned Death Scythes.

"I'd like to get to the bottom of this soon. After all, we _all _have places to be..." Lord Death's tone was calm, but he was already doing practice chops on the air. Spirit sweated, now more determined than ever than to solve it and get the hell out of there.

In the quiet, a pair of steel-toed boots clamped repeatedly against the floor, loudening with every step. "_Hmm, yes, I'm sure you all must be wondering who called you all here..._" A brown-haired, fair-skinned man dressed in militaristic garb made his presence known in the conference room, dramatically slamming the long table with his palms. He was ridiculously smug for the situation at hand, eyes relaxed with a pointy grin, confident that he had the answers for everyone.

Victoria, who'd been mostly silent throughout the meeting, pushed out of her chair, playing the role of bouncer to the sudden intruder. "...And you are?" She cocked her head with little amusement, one step from hurling his shorter figure out the door by the shoulders.

"Aside, wench." He brazenly brushed past her in stride, nearly instigating a fight, had the combined efforts of Marie and Sid not held Victoria back. "Now then! You wonder, who is this dashing devil who stands before you?" He scanned the dumbfounded, mildly perturbed audience before him, before speaking up, even louder. "'Tis I! Noah! N-O-A-H, soon-to-be savior of this green Earth."

"...And you are...?" Lord Death parroted Victoria, the question just as relevant now as when it was initially asked.

"Silence!" The intruder, 'Noah', ordered, fully aware he was speaking to a god of Death. Saying nothing, the grim reaper raised the side of his palm in preparation for a chop, hovering it over the arrogant fellow. That alone was enough to make him crack.

"A-A moment of your time..._Lord._" Noah strained himself to say that last word with respect, despite his cowering. "Perhaps I shall be a bit more formal. I am Eibon's one and only son."

"That's ludicrous." Nygus' unbandaged eye twitched, refusing to buy a word of it. "You hardly look over thirty, unless you're implying Eibon is...'_active_', at his age." A slew of unadult snickers swept through the room, Mifune nearly swallowing the straw resting between his lips. "Well, do you want a blood test?"

"R-Regardless!" Noah cut back in, his confidence visibly dented in his bewildered expression. "_I... I know where the Book of Eibon is_." Without pause, the theatrics went quiet. In just a few words, the room's opinion on Noah shifted from one end to the other, suddenly giving Noah a respectable amount of attention regarding what he had to say.

"Oh, bullshit!" Brandt objected, going white-knuckled from anger alone. "You haven't even presented any hard evidence yet and you expect us to believe any of this? For all we know, you could've just been waiting outside the door and burst in when it was convenient for you! As if you'd know who stole it!" Again, her presence imposed on Noah, aggressively seizing his chin-high collar in an unrelenting grip. He squirmed with helpless, bulging eyes, silently pleading for the Death Scythes to lend a hand. "If you quit squirming, I'll throw you out, nice and clean. Keep at it, I'll knock you out. Fight back, and I throw you in a dumpster, understand?"

"Victoria!" Spirit raised his voice, although not entirely passionate for Noah's well-being. "Hear him out. We don't really have any other leads to begin with." As a direct order from a superior, Victoria was obliged to follow it, pushing the braggart out of her grasp, letting loose a raspy breath as he was released.

"N-No hard evidence! Balderdash!" Noah's breath was still catching up to him, pushing up on the table with an over-assuming smirk. "I present to you...Our culprit." From his coat pocket, he rolled a palm-sized cube on the table, charged with a radiant green aura. Anyone and everyone worth their salt knew: that object was bona-fide BREW.

Mifune's eyes shifted, the samurai's hard-earned attention seized. "You. Where did you get that?" Having fought a bloody war for it on the Lost Island just a year ago, he knew damn well of its eldritch power.

"Do you lack ears? I'm his _son_, _duh_. Naturally, I was first to stumble upon my father's bloodied self sprawled out on the floor, so I snatched the BREW from his room before taking him to the hospital wing. " Noah condescended, and had Mifune not been a more collected person, everyone suspected him to get a gut-full of katana after speaking so out-of-turn. "Now, aback!"

The room went dark following a white flash, the lights sapped of electricity in the wake of BREW's awakening and subsequent power surge. From BREW's tiny keyhole, a blue-tinted hologram sprouted out, displaying a detailed geographical map. A red dot blinked periodically, moving a centimeter across the expansive map by the minute. "My efforts have led me to the small, unassuming country of Fleurah, smack in the middle of South America." At the mention of the place, Lord Death grumbled something, turning his head away resentfully.

"Wait, Lord Death, you've heard of this place?" Spirit leaned forward, curious.

"A long time ago, before I was bound to Death City." His cartoonishly large fingers curled inward with laden frustration. "Until I had it razed to hell and back, eight hundred years ago, Fleurah was witch _paradise_." With a guttural element to his speech, it was clear the reaper's anger spanned well over centuries. Then, as if to re-piece his bubbly mask, his tone rebounded pleasantly. "It's okay now though! Quite the nice vacation spot, if you ever have the opportunity to visit!"

"_Someone _here is well-read, at the very least." Noah huffed through his nose. "If I were a more powerful sorcerer, I'd have blown the country off the planet, but alas, 'tis not an option. I've come to the assumption, that the thief or _thieves _are likely._.._"

"...Half-blood witches. Human and witch relations aren't too bad in Fleurah, and since you'd probably need magic to use the Book of Eibon..." Spirit was glancing down at his smartphone for information, pretending not to notice Noah's outraged gawking for interrupting his monologue, probably shortening it by half had Spirit let him continue.

Noah was eager to jump back into the conversation. "Exactly, so we should—"

"...The kind of man I was wasn't one to rush into a situation. But now, there's too much at stake! We need to establish a military presence, and quick." Sid interjected, his pupil-less eyes focused to the map.

"Ah, Sid, trusted ally, should we truly be so quick to go head-in? Victoria has made a sound point in Noah's shiftiness." Justin rebutted, quietly smiling with a competitive air about him, almost like an even game of chess.

"No, Justin. Who says we have to throw everything we have? Our enemy hasn't made themselves open yet. I personally recommend espionage." Azusa pushed up her glasses, seemingly two steps ahead of everybody with a rough schematic of the plan on notebook paper.

"Shut up, shut up, shut _up!_" Noah banged an iron-gloved fist on the table, silencing everyone in his fit. "_I _am the heir to BREW, so _I _shall be making the plans, _is that understood?_" His body shook and his teeth chattered, disproportionately enraged after not having hogged the spotlight for more than five seconds. "All of you...All of you would make too much of a fuss if you showed your faces to a backwater country like Fleurah. Send me your _elites._" He calmed, making firm eye contact with Spirit expectantly. After a moment, the Death Scythe nodded, giving Noah something resembling approval, however shakily.

The conference door opened, revealing Joe and an armful of steaming coffee mugs twenty minutes into the meeting. "Sorry I'm late. Nothing as usual, I'm guessing?"

* * *

><p>Julian Leone groaned in agony as his phone vibrated for the fifth time that hour. "For Chrissakes Dart, tell him to stop texting us during class..."<p>

The meister rocked his head back, having an equally hard time ignoring the constant notifications. "I-I don't wanna tell him! Justin's too nice! I'll break his poor little priest heart!" His finger hovered over the screen, physically unable to type out even the first word, however tormenting it was to sit back and let it continue.

**[TXT from J. Law 10:20 AM:] Dart, did you see the link I sent you?**

**[TXT from J. Law 10:21 AM:] Christian Rock really is an exciting music genre, Dart. It's wholesome!**

**[TXT from J. Law 10:22 AM:] Dart, did you see the link I sent you? Just checking! :) That was an emoji. I assume you know how to post them? xD xD :D**

**[TXT from J. Law 10:23 AM:] Meetings are SO dreadful. I would not recommend participating in them! Laughing Out Loud!**

"Poor guy..." Sympathy for the technology-illiterate Justin washed over Dart, wondering if he'd ever actually texted someone before.

Alice peeked over from Dart's left shoulder, nosing in on his phone screen. "What are you two complaining about? Seriously, just put it away, before you earn yourself a detention..." She seemed more curious than anything, careening her head in the direction of the phone whenever Dart hid it from view.

"Alice, b'lieve me, I want to, but Justin won't stop sending us messages!" Dart explained in a hushed whisper, simultaneously dodging glances from the teacher.

"Who the hell is 'Justin'? I've never seen you interact with anyone outside..._us._" She narrowed her eyes, examining the broad social circle that consisted of about ten people (and one demon), staring disbelievingly at her meister.

"Yeah, no, it's legit." Julian testified in Dart's stead, frumpily leaning forward on the desk, his eyes begging for death. "Dart and I ended up meeting this priest on a mission. Nice and all, but y'get the impression he's never had friends. Ever."

"Priest?" Alice cocked a suspicious eyebrow, before glaring daggers at Dart and Julian both. "No, no, _no_, don't you _dare _feed me that nonsense. _You two_, of all people, _did not_ meet Justin Law. He has more important matters to attend to than frolicking with you two."

"But Alice, it's true! We saw him turn into a guillotine and everything!" Dart outlined the shape of his monstrous weapon form with his fingers, aweing at the memory.

"And I'm the Queen of England, now give me that." She nabbed his cell phone in a quick swipe, furiously typing.

**[TXT (you) 10:25 AM:] Just who is this? Show yourself, before I report you for impersonating a Death Scythe.**

"Alice, c'mon now-!" In vain, Dart tried to steal his phone back. Alice merely crouched lower, awaiting a response.

**[TXT from J. Law 10:25 AM:] Ah! I see you are confused. Expect a "selfie" in just a moment.**

Alice looked at the photo, then back at Dart. "It's a picture of a table."

"Aw, man! He—he must've had the front camera on!" Dart seized the phone, praying it wasn't so. "Julian, text him to send another one!"

"Sorry," he deadpanned, not looking. "Phone's dead." Julian said, scrolling through ninety-percent battery left.

"Well, I refuse to believe it until he comes knocking at our damn door and cordially introduces himself with a gift basket." Alice ended the debate, turning back to the wonderfully captivating lesson about soul digestion. Dart sighed, stuffing the argument into the back of his head; gone, but not forgotten.

His phone buzzed, starting to grow just as frustrated as Julian as he inconspicuously shot a glance at the dimly-lit screen.

**[TXT from J. Law 10:26 AM:] There is a very irritable, short man headed to your classroom A.T.M.. He's quite the egotist, so be aware.**

He squinted, wondering if the priest had sent him some kind of coded message before the classroom door slammed open, dropping his phone in a heartbeat from the shock. The man in the door stood with what looked to be an inflated sense of self-importance, unapologetic in his interruption.

The substitute teacher made her disapproval known quickly, snapping around to address the unwelcomed guest, brown-haired, uniformly dressed, and short, as Justin described. "E-Excuse me, I'm—" He walked past the teacher as if she wasn't there at all, pivoting on his heel towards the alarmed students.

"Students of the EAT Class, I'm sure you're all dreadfully curious; just who is this dashing stranger inflitrating your classroom? Well, allow me to introduce myself. I, am _Noah_." His rambling went on, losing Dart's attention two or three sentences in. "_...something something _EXALTED SORCERER _something something_ YOUR HERO _something something _EIBON'S HEIR _something something..._"

"Dart!" Cassiel gasped, in the loudest possible whisper. "Did you hear that?" His immediate thought was 'no', but he nodded for conversation's sake. "This man—this man is Eibon's son! Ah, what a day, what a day! Perhaps he can work some magic in front of us!"

"Him? I dunno Cassiel, he's...Yeah, he's somethin' alright." He tried not to let his disinterest show, looking on with faked curiosity to avoid Cassiel's gaze.

"_You two!_" The man, Noah, shouted, pointing up at the two of them. "Stand before me, immediately!" Cassiel was visibly going aflutter with glee, contrasting greatly against Dart's wide-eyed grimace. They made their ways to the classroom's center at their own paces, standing with racing hearts in front of Noah. "Do you fancy yourselves important?" He growled.

Dart shot a glance at his classmates faces for something resembling sympathy. Julian was staring at the two of them like corpses, Joaquin was shaking his head with the biggest 'you're boned' kind of smile, Alice looked away in second-hand shame, and Nicolette was on her phone. "N-No siree, just your average meister is all." He slumped a bit, trying to disguise the fact that he was just as tall, if-not-taller than Noah, for fear of pissing off the stout sorcerer further.

"Yessir! I wholeheartedly wish to lend myself to the greater good, if it so pleases the DWMA!" Like a clockwork soldier, Cassiel saluted on the spot, almost formal if not for the wide-eyed idealism plain on her face.

Noah paused, his frown appearing to deepen, before abruptly ruffling up the Esper's hair with a steel gauntlet. "Ha! Your audacity amuses me. But remember; I'm more important than you."

He shooed them away back to their seats with a self-assured smile. All the while, Dart gawked at Cassiel, inadvertently saving their lives whether it had been her intention or not.

Taking a heaving seat, Dart sighed, offering Cassiel his quiet gratitude. "...Whew. Nice one, Cassiel."

"In what regard?" She raised an eyebrow, apparently having taken the exchange with Noah dead-serious. He dismissed the topic with a brush of his hand, keeping his distrust bottled in.

"With introductions aside, I've come here to pick out the best among you. _Be flattered!_" An uncomfortable wave of applause resounded, before Noah cleared his throat to speak once more. "If you have the fortune of having your name called, come forward!"

He glanced down at the class's attendance on a clipboard. "Nika Andreu, wielder of the Deadly Accuracy Sniper Rifle, Nicolette Andreu, top of your class at seventy-seven souls!" The sisters came forward first, and although the class could only see her from behind, Nika's satisfied grin in her upright posture was easy to sense.

"Joaquin Vivas, wielder of the Noble Demon Rapier, Cole Bellamy, at sixty-eight souls!" Next, the two elder students were summoned. Joaquin was already making offhand remarks, nudging Cole every so often to hit him with the next zinger to try and get a snicker out of the composed weapon.

"Georgina Roberts, at fifty-nine souls!" The meek girl blinked, taking a moment to shove a graphic novel out of sight before hustling over to the front. Malphas made a point to add thundering sound effects to Georgina's footsteps, to her continued weariness.

"Dart D. Cay, wielder of the Noble Demon Broadsword, Alice Robinson, at fifty-one souls!" Dart and Alice, interrupted in the middle of a conversation, nodded in a temporary ceasefire and walked down the aisle to the room's center.

"...Can't believe we made the cut." Dart said breathlessly, offering a stealth low-five behind his back.

"Thank me when I'm a Death Scythe." She returned the gesture without looking his way, hardly bothering to keep a professional facade up.

"Cassiel, wielder of the Multi-Purpose Demon Weapon, Julian Leone, at forty-three souls!" He went on, cocking an eyebrow at the list, then the pink-haired girl. "You're the Esper." Uncharacteristic interest fell into Noah's tone, looking at the youth differently than a minute before.

Julian felt obligated to ward him off on Cassiel's behalf, stepping forward. He knew she would take any attention kindly, especially someone so close to Eibon. "Yeah, what's it to ya?"

"Julian, please." Cassiel hit him with a pair of pleading eyes, quieting his bared fangs, however reluctantly. With Julian subdued, she bobbed a curtsy. "That would be me." Noah acknowledged her with a nod, before his eyes returned to the clipboard.

"And _that _is all of the students I have chosen!" Noah finally declared. "The rest of you are irrelevant; carry on with your lesson. Important ones, follow me!" He strutted out, expecting the chosen to follow without question. After a dragged pause, and much hesitation, the picked students tagged behind the dangerously eccentric Noah.

* * *

><p>Their walk brought them to the teleporter room, where the DWMA staff (and Lord Death himself!) stood rigidly, looking too old and tired for whatever was going on. "Ah, yes. The debrief." Noah inhaled, preparing to drop an exposition dump. The look of '<em>no<em>' among the teachers and students was nigh-universal.

"W-We're sending you to a foreign country to track down a magic book, any questions? No? Good, get on the portal." Miss Marie blazed through the explanation, quickly gesturing for the teenagers to get on and get out.

"As I was saying—" Noah cleared his throat loudly in preparation to speak.

"We have incentive. Spend wisely." Azusa cut in, unveiling a briefcase from behind her back to display to the students.

"Certainly you didn't..." Even Cole was reduced to awing, with no doubt in his mind as to what laid inside. She placed it in his capable hands, letting him open it up with his fellow classmates.

"I can't believe they're givin' us money for free...!" Dart's whole head was practically shoved inside the case, entranced by the sheer amount of green.

"Dart, don't be silly, there is no way it's free." Joaquin, observing just as closely as Dart, spoke as the voice of reason. In a single swipe, he snatched a hundred-dollar bill from just under Dart's chin. "Do my homework for a week, and _then _you'll have your cut." Joaquin waved the bill about like a matador and his cape, egging him to make a move. Dart only had eyes for the paper-print Ben Franklin, trying—and failing, to snatch it back in repeated lunges.

"Move over. Are you like, twelve?" Nicolette began loading her purse up, giving Julian an idea to do the same.

"H-Hey, maybe we should divvy this up...?" Georgina's diminutive stature struggled to get ahold of a share standing on her toes to get a peek at the surface.

"I'm not gonna lie, this shameless display of greed is making me _really _happy right now, keep it up guys." Malphas watched the event unfold like a primetime showing, waiting for the inevitable escalation of squabbling.

"The teachers made no such specifications. Don't get high-and-mighty, demon." Alice, too, was helping herself pitilessly, neatly filing bills into her wallet.

"Shall I?" Cassiel reached for a five-hundred, floating behind the briefcase. "Or shan't?" Her hand stilled. "...Shall I?" She reached again, crippled by indecisiveness.

"Everybody, _shut up_." Nika snapped, slamming the case down with at least four hands still inside. Cole cleared his throat with the briefcase in-hand, eyes shifting sideways as he pretended not to have been reaching in moments ago. "I'm the group's appointed treasurer now, since none of you have any self-control. Until further notice, I'm taking this, mmkay?" Haughtily, she seized the case and shut her ears to the groans coming thereafter.

"Six thousand should cover the expenses, don't you think?" Lord Death nudged Azusa absentmindedly, only the slightest bit skeptical.

"...A week. If I've done my calculations right, between the ten of them, they'll go a week before they burn themselves out." She tilted up her glasses, wondering how much longer she could tolerate the 'let teenagers be teenagers' philosophy before she cracked.

"Ya might need to make some adjustments." Victoria limbered up, yawning as the last bits of morning drowsiness left her. Azusa regarded the former teacher quizzically, tapping her foot as she awaited for her to elaborate. "Lord Death," she met the reaper's eyes. "I'm requesting express permission to go with. Nobody outside the DWMA knows I've killed Medusa yet, so I'm not really all that notorious." She reasoned, rocking her head back and forth

Justin chuckled with surprise. "Oh? Brandt's spark has come back, has it?"

"Damn. Just when I thought I'd have a maintenance pal..." Joe took a dragging sip on his coffee mug, mourning the loss of potential company outside of Blair.

"The kind of man I was wouldn't stop you, but..." Sid tried to get a read on Victoria's expression. "But why?"

Her fingers clenched, scratching into her pockets. "Be realistic, just for a second. You send half a class full of teenagers to Fleurah, hand them a couple thousand dollars, send them on their merry way. Yeah, sound plan. But say something goes wrong in Fleurah, one, two, six go missing? Angry parents are gonna file missing persons reports. It's gonna be on the news. Staff's gonna get interviewed. And then, people are gonna know who we are. When people know who we are, our notoriety goes up. When our notoriety goes up, people start questioning. When people start questioning, people get lawyers. When people get lawyers, _we get sued_. And when we get sued, every single DWMA on the globe's gonna _crash _and _burn_."

Victoria inhaled, smiling simply. "If we send a teacher, IE: _me_, and _then_ everybody dies, nobody gets angry, because it was a disaster that not even a professional could have prevented. Do ya follow?" The staff went silent, lips pursed tight in deep thought.

Noah began to fume. "I don't approve of this—"

Spirit cupped a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "But I do. Victoria, get on the teleporter."

"_Ha!_" Victoria sneered at the arrogant sorcerer, before turning a new shade of pink in front of the faculty. "...Affirmative." She jogged up to the platform, first one there.

"Wow, Victoria," Dart raced to catch up with her, standing at her side. "Dunno what made ya reconsider, but I'm glad you came!"

"My, Victoria, it has been too long! Are you going to tell of us of your escapades in your absence!" Cassiel flew behind her back and leaned forward on Victoria's arm, perhaps a little too close, but appreciated nonetheless.

"Yeah, where the hell ya been?" Julian asked, one eye shut. "After the shit that's been happenin' lately, I'd rather just have a Kishin a box again."

Victoria's broad figure turned to look down at him, eyebrows raised. "Is that a formal 'I missed you' from _Julian Leone_?" Victoria, Dart, Cassiel, and Alice stared, expecting him to get sentimental within a moment or two.

"Ha! Like I was really..." Julian tugged at his collar. Four pairs of eyes on him made him confess faster than any interrogator could. "...Yes."

Alice sneered. "Tch. Would it kill you to _not _be so guarded with your emotions twenty-four-seven?" Just as she spoke, Victoria wrapped an arm around Alice, as well as the rest of her students in an impromptu group hug. At the unexpected display of affection, her eyes went wide, rosying up like spring bloom. "W-Well then."

"God, I've turned into a softy." Victoria cheerfully admitted. Faint creases tagged her eyelids in the form of dark circles, disguised only by the elated brown pupils that they surrounded. Noticing this, Cassiel eased off a bit, floating up to face-level with Victoria.

"Ah, Victoria, is everything... Are you...?" She struggled to find the right words for Victoria's bittersweet expression, gazing concernedly. Victoria herself looked hardly bothered, dazedly watching as Cassiel played amateur psychologist.

"Huh? Yeah, perfectly fine." Victoria yawned for just a little too long. "I've just got a few things eating me up. Not literally, thankfully."

"I wouldn't be worryin', Cassiel." Dart said. "She's strong like that. Ain't that right?"

Georgina stood at the foot of the teleporter in front of the rest of the students, a little pensive to join them. "A-Are we interrupting anything or...?"

Victoria blinked, suddenly self-conscious. "What? No. Who are you people?" She broke away from the hug she initiated, abruptly bringing an end to that warm and fuzzy feeling. The rest of them joined, cramming onto the teleporter pad at once. "I'll explain everything once we're there. Send us off, Marie!"

"Are you sure they don't want an explanation now? Maybe it's better that we..." Marie hesitated as she punched in the last few commands into the digital plate, locking eyes with Victoria apprehensively.

"Allow me to explain..." The sorcerer's voice chimed, stepping in front of the teleporter to address the students. Victoria frantically swatted her hand, gesturing for Marie to warp them out.

"We're rooting for you!" The last sight the eleven saw before merging with the teleporter's light was Lord Death's encouragement, giving them an assuring thumbs-up before their physical forms were whisked off to parts unknown in search of a book.

* * *

><p>Everyone gasped, feeling life in all of their organs and tissues return at once as they stood on a teleporter pad belonging to a DWMA not of their own. Joaquin bounded off first, absorbing the sights and sound with a breath of fresh air.<p>

"South America. We are on _my _continent now, my United States aliens!" He ushered the group off like a tour guide who just got a pay raise, comfortable in his surroundings and confident in his surroundings.

Nika crossed her arms and huffed. "You've got our location narrowed down to an entire continent. Whoop-de-doo."

"Oh, think so? Watch me." Joaquin walked out the new academy's teleporter room and into the hallway, waiting off to the side 'til he found somebody who looked like they had time to spare. At the first sight, he revealed himself amiably, arms outward with a foolhardy grin like you would an old friend. "_Ay, ¿qué pasa?_" Within seconds of introduction, he was chumming up with the guy, making small talk in rapid-fire Spanish that none of the group could hope to translate. After five minutes of back-and-forth between the two, Joaquin sent his newfound acquaintance with a slap on the back, thanking him for his service.

"So, we're in Paraguay!" He announced, with a sarcastic bow.

"Great. We can start moving now." Victoria was walking forward with a map held up to her face, obscuring anything else in her peripheral vision. "Our destination's just south of here, only an hour by car. Any questions?"

"A-A lot, actually." Georgina raised her hand meekly. So far it seemed only Victoria had a vague idea of where they were going and more importantly, what for.

"You'll find out." She answered, hardly even thinking before speaking. After tracing a route with her finger, she glanced at her party. "Hey, Joaquin, you can drive, right?" At being addressed by her, he gulped and nodded. "Great. We'll split into two groups."

Julian was visibly taken aback, nose furled and mouth agape. "Hey, what the hell ever happened to strength in numbers? If we stick together we can just stomp everything!" His outburst spurred a surge of chatter among the group, sharing similar unease at the idea.

Growing desperate, Victoria continued to try and sell the idea to them. "C'mon! It's an adventure, not a horror movie, for crying out loud!" She clenched her temples, trying to find a good way to put it. "...Do you _want to_ try shoving ten people into one car?"

"Ehhhh.._._" There was a collective hum of realization, leaving a few scratching heads as to how else to combat the situation.

"Alright, it's decided! Dart, Alice, the sisters, and me will take one car, the rest of you in the other." Victoria was halfway out the teleporter room before she paused, as if forgetting something. She balled up a piece of paper and chucked it at an unsuspecting Georgina. "Be the designated map-girl, will ya? By the way, debrief's on the back, so read that to them while you're at it."

Before anyone had time to react, Victoria was already out in the crowded hall. "My group, we're heading out!"

"Comin'!" Dart rushed ahead, struggling to keep up with his teacher's sheer determination. _I don't know where we're headed, but I'll take it. Any opportunity to get stronger for Alice's sake, I'll take it!_

Nika reluctantly stuffed a hand inside the briefcase and handed a small wad of cash to Joaquin. "Remember, this is supposed to cover you a rental car and that's it. You'd _better _bring change."

Joaquin accepted the 'gift' with a smile, filing through each bill. "_Muchas gracias, _Nika. I'll think of you when I buy lunch for us with this." Joaquin, leading his caravan of Cole, Georgina, Cassiel, and Julian, casually strode out in the opposite direction of the brawny redhead, feeling no rush to reach his destination so quickly.

"R-Right then!" Cassiel gravitated towards the ceiling of the hallway, endlessly fascinated by the new sights of Paraguay's DWMA. _Noah, if it is Eibon's wish, I will fulfill this task without fail! _

* * *

><p>The rental car Alice had managed to haggle off a dealer wasn't of the finest quality, and on a blazingly sunny day like that one, that fact became increasingly apparent the longer they spent on the endless desert road.<p>

"Like. What the hell actually happened? We could've rode in a limo or something half-decent, but we had to ride in _this_?" Nicolette kicked against the front passenger seat where Alice sat, edging on her nerves a little further with each push forward.

"It was cost-efficient. And if we're going god-knows-where for potentially around a _week_, I just thought we needed to allocate our cash. Just because we're the ones with the briefcase right now doesn't mean we can spend willy-nilly..." Alice grumbled irritably, trying to maintain sanity in the stuffy clunker bought on her purchase.

"Alice..." Dart puffed out a slow, hesitant breath, sitting between the Andreu sisters in the back seat.. "I uh, don't disagree with your reasonin', but..." The car hit a bump, accompanied by a belching of black smoke from the exhaust. Dart looked back, only now beginning to fear for his life. "Y'know what? Forget what dumb ol' me said. Alice, this was a really terrible move." At this point, the problem at hand was trying _not_ to die a swift, fiery death in the car, much less reaching their destination.

Nika's stare was burning a hole into the oblivious Victoria, whose eyes were stoically laid on the road ahead. "When." She spoke aloud, after minutes of silence.

"'When' what?" She replied, the corners of her mouth arching downward.

"'When' are you going to tell us what's going on? You've told us, uh, let's see, approximately NOTHING about whatever the hell we're doing here!" Her temper flared, bring an uncomfortable silence with. "We're _elites! _Even these two kids!" She broadly gestured to Dart and Alice, hoping to catch maybe an eyebrow raise or a half-glance, if she was lucky. "...Do you think you're better than us or something?"

Victoria's back slumped, her body language easing as her lips loosened. "...Yeah, I guess I owe you guys that much." Her expression was stoic as she scanned the road ahead, but there was a hint of unease in the way her eyes narrowed, almost as uncertain as the rest of them. "The place we're going is a country called Fleurah. It's one of the few places on the planet with decent human-witch relations."

**/**

Georgina carefully read over the debrief, relaying the information to the others eating lunch. "...In the days of Arachne's prime, witches were drawn here, attracted by the abundance of multi-colored flowers, which not only made for pretty sights, and camouflage before Soul Perception was perfected."

**/**

"...It wasn't long before Lord Death found out. He had Eibon sic his magical constructs on the place 'til the witches were either dead or fled."

**/**

"You wouldn't see it from a normal vacation stay, but... Witch presence is still there."

**/**

"Before Eibon razed the place, cross-breeding between witches and humans wasn't uncommon. Can you imagine it? The resolve of humanity combined with a witch's hunger for destruction..."

**/**

"O-Of course, after generations, the witch gene mostly dissipated. Mostly. Even if they're only a quarter, twenty-percent, even ten-percent witch, there are still humans who can become formidable wizards with that inheritance."

**/**

"Nobody knows what they're gonna do with the Book of Eibon that they've stolen. But it screams revenge to me, and if there's a wizard powerful enough to give life to the same constructs that razed Fleurah, then let's just say it would be bad. Really. Really. Bad."

After that, Victoria didn't say much, hands on the wheel with a lot on her mind. Nika nodded slowly, appreciative of the honesty but harrowed by the knowledge.

"Hey," Dart's head was poking through the sunroof, which was just a rectangular hole cut into the car's ceiling. "There's a border stop ahead!" Just short of a mile away, a long fence stretched across the horizon, with a small opening for a car to fit through and a uniformed guard standing by.

"Damn, there's no time!" Alice's tone turned urgent, already unbuckling her seatbelt. She was pawing at her own uniform, trying desperately to tear off Lord Death's embroidered symbol. "They're going to find out we're DWMA!"

"Alice, don't try a damn thing." Dart sat back down, his fingers knotted in tight anticipation. "If...If we get caught tryin' something sneaky, we'd be done for before we even get to Fleurah. So, for now, just sit down 'n wait. All we can do."

"F-Fine, but..." Alice looked to her meister incredulously, trying to find the words to explain why it was a bad idea. No face seemed to mirror her thoughts in the car.

"Yeah. No. If that border bitch wants to fight, we fight. We aren't fake." Nicolette added, a flicker of something resembling interest appearing in the glint behind her sunglasses. Her sister was stunned into uncharacteristic nervousness, looking out the right window to avoid the guard's stony gaze.

"Everybody shut up and keep cool, I'll handle this." The redhead said, putting on her most professional frown. As the fence grew closer, so did the guard, their figure rigid before the approaching car. Mere feet before Fleurah's northern border, Victoria stopped the car, ballsy enough to stare the guard right in the eyes while she strolled over to the vehicle.

The guard lowered her head to the window, hiding her eyes behind a pair of stoic police shades. "Do you mind if I check your trunk, miss? My apologies, it is just a precaution; we in Fleurah have rather strict policy about narcotics, and smuggling, and other nasty things..." Her tone was non-threatening, quickly glancing at the strained faces that met her inside the car.

Her expectations betrayed, Victoria replied. "Y-Yeah. Go right ahead." She reclined as the guard slowly marched to the trunk, giving a reassuring nod to her students.

The sound of a baton rapping on metal reverberated throughout the car, followed by the trunk creaking open. "Hm. Hm. Hmm..." The guard mumbled idly. "Ah. Good news. It appears you are clean." She returned to the front to address Victoria, donning an affable smile. "We hope Fleurah lives up to your finest expectations, miss."

"Thanks, we've got a feeling it will." Growing impatient, she rested her foot on the accelerator, about ready to blaze out of there. She nodded to the guard, and then paused, taking a closer look. Her long black hair was tied in a bun, kept out of her face to emphasize the dark-brown in her skin. But what stuck out most to Victoria was the presence of a vivacious lei around her neck, barely hidden by her uniform. "Wait, you..." Her stare widened. She swore to god she recognized that face.

"Oh?" The guard returned the stare curiously. "Feel like you've seen me somewhere? Ah, I get that a lot, you see. It just happens! Funny, no?"

In response, her eyes darted to the road, reluctantly casting aside her intrigue. "No, it was nothing." She slammed on the gas, speeding past the post and officially crossing into Fleurah.

The guard stood and watched the car grow smaller and smaller, until it eventually disappeared into the hazy horizon. Withdrawing a walkie-talkie from her side-pocket, she held the button and began to speak.

"It is just as I expected: they're Lord Death's goons for certain. One of them had the emblem on her shirt." She reclined in the shade of the post, still shaking from the brief exchange. To calm her nerves, she whipped out a cigarette, setting it lightly aflame with a snap of her fingers and put it to her lips. "...I assume there's going to be another group of them coming soon. They wouldn't just send a single car, would they?"

She listened, and then spoke, trying to talk sense into the distraught voice on the receiver. "Please, calm down, my sire. We have intercepts around the country. It would be a miracle if they managed to reach there alive. I-If they do manage to make it as far as the capitol, I'll be there to finish them."

She smiled, her eyes ignited with both anticipation and determination. "There is no need to thank me, sire. You've known my intent was always simple." The cigarette dimmed, and she put it out against the brick wall. "_I would die to watch Eibon's legacy burn_."

**AN: Alright, this marks the beginning of the first major arc! I know I just dropped a lot of world (country?) building, so if anything seemed rushed that you didn't quite get, don't hesitate to ask. I'm also going to be giving some extended focus to the Death Scythes and the academy staff in-between the action in Fleurah, so I'm curious to hear your thoughts regarding my portrayal of them as well so far.**

**Ah, almost forgot about Noah. To any of those who've read the manga, the name rings a few bells. Seeing as how this runs off the anime continuity though, this Noah is going to be significantly different, and that's all I have to say on the matter. I intentionally designed him to be an annoying blowhard, so if that's the impression you got, good! Thanks for reading, hope to see next chapter!**


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